


I knew for the first time, I'd stay for a long time

by hibouxx



Series: Little Moon [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Jaehyun, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Dance instructor Yutae, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Mpreg, Not Beta Read, Unplanned Pregnancy, college student jaehyun, omega yuta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2020-10-27 22:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20768249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibouxx/pseuds/hibouxx
Summary: Getting through college was hard enough as it is, throw in an unplanned pregnancy and an unconventional set up with your best friend who you're absolutely not in love with? Chaotic.Or, Jaehyun and Yuta are that same-humour bffs slash friends with benefits, now facing the gargantuan task of raising a baby together, and possibly the cutest one too, according to Yuta at least.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys (in Yujae's voice), this is my first work here. I haven't really written a fic in a long time and this is not beta-ed, so you might find inconsistencies or mistakes here and there, feel free to let me know what you think! 
> 
> There's really not enough Yujae in this tag, let's do something about that, yeah?

** _Positive_ **

Being up in the middle of the night, specifically at three in the morning, is almost unheard of for Yuta. He goes to bed an hour after dinner, and wakes up at exactly six every morning, refreshed and ready to face another gruelling day at work. He rarely ever stays up, the few exceptions being movie nights with his friends, and pretty much all evenings spent with Jaehyun, his best friend of three years, and the guy who he occasionally sleeps with. Occasionally might have been one too many.

Yuta thinks this instance probably counts as spending time with Jaehyun too, if sitting on top of the toilet seat holding a dreadful white stick, and feeling sweat roll down his back despite the central air conditioning blasting cold air through the bathroom vents, while the younger of the two stands anxious behind the locked door.

“Hyung, how is it?” The Japanese man startles at the other’s voice, too busy trying to calm his own nerves. Running a hand through his blonde hair, messing up the small top bun he hastily put it into, and exhausted from the lack of sleep, Yuta thinks he probably deserves this for all those times he made fun of Momoka for her countless pregnancy scares.

Jaehyun on the other hand, spends the minutes waiting for the omega restless on his feet. He fidgets with the drawstrings of his sweatpants, a habit he’s never fully grown out of and sighs for every second that passes without a sound from the other side of the door. Yuta’s been completely quiet for a while now and the young alpha has an inkling why.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, he hears the door to the bathroom being unlocked, and out steps a very pale Yuta, extending the hand holding the pregnancy test to Jaehyun’s face, like the thing doesn’t have his pee in it. And honestly, that’s the least of Jaehyun’s concerns, because the reality of their predicament is finally sinking in, and he finds himself dragging a hand over his face, and mouthing a quiet, “Oh fuck”

**_Breaking the news_**

Yuta will always blame it on Jaehyun even though he’d been the one to suggest getting the ultra thin condom they had on display at the pharmacy. “You pointed it out, if you hadn’t pointed it out I wouldn’t have asked to get it!” he’ll repeat, like clockwork, every time Jaehyun so much as suggests that he’d only gotten the condoms after Yuta whined about it for a solid fifteen minutes, in front of nosy, elderly women who’d found the two’s exchange more interesting than what’s on their shopping list.

While the problem isn’t exactly impossible to fix, especially with Yuta not being that far along yet, the omega has taken the news probably too well and is somehow determined to go through with it, despite the many repercussions it entails. Saying things along the lines of “What if the baby has Jaehyunnie’s dimples?”, and emphasising exactly where his priorities lie.

Within the first week of them finding out about the unplanned pregnancy, they make the decision to keep it. And while Jaehyun isn’t exactly thrilled to be a father at 22, halfway through his third year in University and only living off the bi-monthly allowances he gets from his parents, the idea of doing this with Yuta, of all people, puts him at ease. They may not be officially together, but he likes to think that the older omega feels the same way.

It doesn’t take them long to break the news to their parents, starting with Jaehyun’s first, because 1) they live only two stations away from his dorm, and 2) communication is less of an issue, since Jaehyun’s Japanese is pretty subpar and he’s only ever used it to order food and ask for discounts.

Yuta nearly turned right back around after getting a glimpse of the familiar family house (not an apartment, but a goddamn house with a gate in Gangnam), “I don’t think I can do this, nope. nope.” the omega rambles while tugging at the alpha’s jacket from behind, where he has conveniently hidden himself, taking advantage of their height difference.

“You’ve met them before.”

“But I wasn’t pregnant with your baby before. They’re gonna kill me and feed me to your pet sharks.”

“Our pet sharks are literally the size of a gold fish, hyung. Calm down. Just be yourself, but with more filter.” The taller of the two gestures to his mouth, a clear indication that things will go south if Yuta doesn’t keep his more eccentric opinions to himself.

“Got it” the Japanese male nods, and thinks back to his only references for this kind of situation. He’s watched enough Korean dramas to know that rich families like Jaehyun’s never approve of anyone from the range of lower to middle class, so he’ll have to either impress them with his good looks and great personality or pretend that he’s the heir to a multimillion yen fortune in Japan.

To Yuta’s relief however, it doesn’t go like anything in the dramas. Mrs Jung takes one look at Yuta, at his shy smile and huge eyes, and just _coos. _It reminds the young alpha of the time he brought home a litter of kittens in a cardboard box as a kid and she coddled them for the entire month they kept them until they were given proper homes.

His dad, while skeptical at first, (unsurprisingly) thinking he’s much too young to be having his own kid, eventually comes around. Predictably, most of it has to do with Yuta, his naturally charming and humorous self, and by the end of the evening, the Jung family is already planning visitation rights, and what colour the nursery should be. “Figures”, the alpha mutters under his breath, watching his parents fuss over a satisfied-looking Yuta with a small smile.

Informing the omega’s family in Osaka, through FaceTime, on Jaehyun’s dorm’s coffee table, is a completely different story. Yuta’s parents are a bit on the older side (nevertheless, his mom doesn’t look a day over 30), and they’re soft spoken and polite, like how most Japanese people are. But it’s hard not to see their stand on the situation, Jaehyun’s too young (younger than Yuta) and not even earning a living yet, Yuta’s pay at the dance studio is just barely enough to get him by, not to mention they’re not even really together. Despite Jaehyun’s family’s support, they still see this as an unconventional arrangement bound to fail down the road.

Jaehyun doesn’t need to understand the entire conversation, the look on Yuta’s face already says a lot. But he also sees the determination in those big eyes, the same look he had when he outright told Jaehyun that he’s having the baby, and the younger male trusts Yuta’s conviction, so he listens attentively to their conversation, despite catching only one or two words in the rapid fire Kansai dialect. He does intertwine his and Yuta’s fingers under the table, way out of the camera’s view, a silent but firm support.

The alpha recognises Yuta’s older sister, Momoka, as she appears beside Mrs Nakamoto on screen. She purses her lips and greets in fluent Korean, “Hey there Jaehyun. It’s nice to finally meet you,”

The younger male is taken slightly aback, “my mom wants to tell you something. I hope you don’t mind me translating for her.”

“Not at all, I wish I didn’t need a translator though.” He says back, with the kindest and sincerest smile he can muster.

Yuta frowns beside him, giving him a fleeting side glance before turning back to the screen as soon as his mom starts talking. Momoka, nods at every word, and once sure that the older Nakamoto woman has nothing else to say, turns back to the camera. Jaehyun notices how Yuta’s features have softened considerably.

“She says that you look like a good kid, and that she’s sure you’ll take good care of our Yuta. It will be hard for him without his family there, but she trusts you to fill in our roles.” The words leave Jaehyun a little speechless, and in the background, they see Yuta’s father nodding his approval, and it feels like a weight has finally been lifted.

“I will, I’ll be there for him the entire time.”

—

An hour later finds them browsing through apartments close to both Jaehyun’s university and Yuta’s work, deeming it best to be as close to each other as possible throughout Yuta’s pregnancy. The younger man curiously prods a grinning Yuta, “So what did you tell them that made them change their minds?”

“Nothing much, just that they’ll be missing out on a grandkid with possibly the cutest dimples they can ever imagine” And the taller man can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of him. Trust Yuta indeed.

—

Making the announcement to their group of friends on the other hand, is unsurprisingly chaotic.

Johnny sits closest to the pair, squeezing himself in the space between Yuta and the armrest of a 2-seater couch (“we should probably get at least a 3-seater when we move” Jaehyun whispers to the omega sitting beside him).

“Let me guess, you’re pregnant.” Ten says matter of factly, not even bothering to look up from his Switch. Let’s Go Pikachu is obviously more important than two of his friends looking like they just went through the grinder and back.

The only Japanese in the room, of course, gives the shorter omega his hardest, scariest glare to date, but the effect is lost on the other who’s too busy catching a Snorlax.

“Anyway, as I was saying, there’s gonna be some major changes happening for Jaehyun and I,” the older omega continues before Ten gets another chance to cut him off again, “first of which is that we’re moving in together, yey!” He throws his fist in the air in mock excitement, none of his friends looking impressed. Jaehyun looks down on his lap at the silence that follows.

Taeyong raises a brow, “So are you two finally together now or is this just a roommates arrangement?”

“Uhh, that’s where the second announcement comes in,” the blonde mumbles.

“Oh my god, he’s really pregnant.” It’s Doyoung’s turn this time, the beta showing unadulterated panic at the thought of his two most irresponsible friends (both of which are practically kids themselves) raising a baby together.

“Can we stop jumping to conclusions here please?” Yuta whines, and Johnny has gone completely stiff beside him that Jaehyun worries he’s stopped breathing altogether.

“So what’s the announcement then? Jaehyun’s finally decided he wants to be upgraded from your bro to your boyfriend?” Taeyong interjects, getting impatient. It gets a total of two eye-rolls from Ten and Doyoung, because really, the truth could be slapping Taeyong in the face and the latter wouldn't know better.

“...I’m pregnant” Yuta finally gives up, and Johnny lets out an exaggerated gasp beside the pair, (“Told ya doofus” Ten grins at Taeyong, putting down his Switch for the first time that evening to enjoy the complete shock on the handsome alpha’s face).

“Wait, hold the fuck up, you’re still not together, but you decided having a baby is a good idea?!” Doyoung straight up screams and Johnny prays he doesn’t get another warning notice from his landlord following this meeting.

“It wasn’t exactly planned,” Jaehyun speaks up for the first time that evening, a bit red in the cheeks from all the attention he’s getting. He’s always been the quiet one in the group, “we’re just, you know, going along with the flow.”

(_"Have any of you heard of a condom?"_ Doyoung adds quietly in the background, exasperated.)

“What’re you gonna do about your apartment?” Taeyong directs the question to Yuta, before turning back to Jaehyun, “and what did your parents say?”

“How far along are you? Why didn’t the two of you say anything on our last movie night?” Johnny.

“One question at a time please, Jaehyun is already having a meltdown” and true to his words, a very overwhelmed alpha is whipping his head back and forth between Doyoung, Johnny, and a very scandalised Taeyong.

“See, I’m taking this way better than any of them. I’ve always known you’re gonna end up in this kind of situation.” Ten laughs, unhelpful as ever, “I guess congratulations are in order!”

**_Moving in_**

It doesn’t take long for them to find the apartment they want; a 2-bedroom condo unit just a few blocks away from the dance studio, with Jaehyun insisting that he’ll be more at ease knowing he’s lessening the burden of transportation for Yuta. While more expensive than what they originally planned for, Jaehyun insists that the indoor gym and pool facilities will be useful come winter, when walking around in the snow will no longer be an option for a heavily pregnant omega. For now, Yuta occupies the master bedroom while Jaehyun stays in the second bedroom, which will eventually be turned into a nursery. Until then, they have enough space to themselves to not get into each other’s way.

Living with Jaehyun is relatively easy. The alpha cleans up well, he cooks sophisticated and healthy meals, does the laundry and spends most of his free time searching up helpful information on Yuta’s pregnancy. Nausea never became an issue for Yuta exactly for that reason; Jaehyun comes up with this magical concoction of ginger and lemon infusion after his first puking episode, and he’s never had to spend another minute hunched over the toilet again after having it in the morning.

Yuta has also always known that Jaehyun is a bit of a health junkie, but living with him and experiencing it first hand is an entirely different story. Yuta himself prefers to feed his body with only the good stuff; mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, but he’s never had both mixed together in a smoothie every morning for breakfast. Instead of his usual white rice, kimchi and seaweed combo lunch, the young alpha has taken to preparing him oatmeal with fresh strawberries on lazy days, and chia seeds with coconut milk on days when he has more time on his hands. Even Yuta’s coworkers have started eyeing him like he’s grown another head every lunch time, when the omega whips out the day’s special from his lunch bag.

He also starts noticing the little quirks he’s never picked up on before, like how Jaehyun likes to leave the TV on even when he’s not watching, just to fill the otherwise empty silence (he normally chooses some boring documentary for it too), how he never puts fabric softener on his (and now, theirs, by default) laundry because it irritates his skin, and how he wears almost identical oversized t-shirts and sweats to sleep.

Having lived by himself since he was sixteen, Yuta finds their dynamics interesting. He’s known Jaehyun for three years now, and has been sleeping with him for at least an entire year, but he’s never had to experience the domestic side of him. Suddenly, the thought of not having _this_, of going home to an empty apartment, of not having stiff clothes because someone refuses to put fabric softener on them, of the spare room being empty…just plain scares him.

Yuta wonders if Jaehyun feels the same way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this AU, it's a way for me to destress I guess? Yujae have such good dynamics that they basically write themselves. Anyway, enjoy!

** _Exercise_ **

Before this whole debacle, Yuta has been known to be an insanely active person. More so than most omegas. He works as a dance instructor at a big name studio with Taeyong, goes to the gym at least four times a week, has a propensity for anything sports related, especially football, and has never spent a single idle moment. This is exactly how he and Jaehyun bonded in the first few weeks of knowing each other, exactly three years ago. But as much as he wants to keep to his normal routine, there’s absolutely no way he’s putting his baby at risk; so he sits out especially rough choreographies in the studio while Taeyong takes over for him, and foregoes gym for morning and evening walks (and absolutely no jogging) around their new neighbourhood. 

It doesn’t take long for Jaehyun to catch on to these changes and being the fully capable baby daddy that he is, offers more alternatives. One of which, is yoga, couple yoga to be exact.“It doesn’t matter than we’re not an actual couple, we’re still having a baby together.” He says with all the confidence a twenty-two year young future dad can muster.

That’s how Jaehyun ends up signing them up for a session, not fully understanding the weight of his actions until they’re already in their workout attire in the middle of a room full of heavily pregnant omegas and their alphas, most of them in their early to late thirties judging by their general appearance. Yuta looks a little mortified at the idea that he’ll be as big as those omegas in just a few more months, and wordlessly rubs a hand over his little bump for comfort.

Jaehyun looks just as lost; most of the couples are now looking at their general direction, either judging him for not carrying Yuta’s gym bag (he’d have been smacked in the head for even offering, one of the many disadvantages of a very self-sufficient omega) or wondering what a young couple would be doing in a _prenatal_ yoga session. Because that’s what this is, Jaehyun realises a little late.

“Please tell me we’re in the wrong room.” the younger is in the process of asking Yuta to please just shut up for a moment while he internally panics, when the instructor approaches the pair.

“Hello there, I take it you’re Mr Jung?” The instructor, a female beta, turns to Jaehyun (and Yuta doesn’t miss the way her eyes light up at the sight of the handsome alpha) and the younger man struggles to keep eye contact as he nods in response.

“That’s right, I booked the session for me and my partner over here.” _but I wasn’t aware we’d be in a room full of omegas looking ready to pop_, Jaehyun keeps the last comment to himself.

“Then this must be Mr Nakamoto? I honestly didn’t expect you both to be so young, and very early into the pregnancy too.” She shakes Yuta’s hands as she speaks.

“I know right? Today’s full of surprises.” The omega smiles, but Jaehyun doesn’t miss the stink eye the other sends his way as soon as the woman turns away to fetch the registration papers.

“You signed us up for prenatal yoga?!” Yuta hisses in Jaehyun’s ear, an unfortunate habit he’s picked up since hormones have started messing with his already fluctuating moods.

“I swear I didn’t know! I only asked for a couple session, I might’ve mentioned that you were pregnant, but that’s all!”

Before Yuta can retort with words that will probably get them thrown out of the room, the woman comes back and ushers them to their designated spot on the floor, much too enthusiastically for Yuta’s comfort. The Japanese man suspect it’s got something to do with how good Jaehyun looks in sweatpants and a plain white shirt, and the sentiment seems to be shared by most of the other omegas in the room, their curious eyes following the young alpha’s every move. Yuta does his best impression of a territorial lion ready to strike at the sight of competition behind the young alpha. It doesn’t deter their interest in the slightest, but he hopes that the arm he loops around Jaehyun’s will.

If Jaehyun gives him a knowing smile here and there, he pretends not to see them.

The session ends up fairly okay; most of the poses were a bit awkward. With Yuta being a bit too small still, they find no problem in switching positions (and it might’ve raised a few brows in the room), in between giggles and full blown laughter. The younger man is pretty sure they’re not supposed to make so much noise during a yoga session, but Yuta’s always been loud, regardless of the place and time, and his humour is infectious. Jaehyun doubts the session has been of any real help to Yuta’s physical state, but the glee in his eyes as he watches the young alpha attempt to replicate a pregnant omega in a squat is pretty rewarding.

They go home that evening spent and aching in the oddest places, and with a handful of crumpled papers with mobile numbers crammed into Jaehyun’s gym bag, much to the displeasure of all other alphas present in the evening’s session.

“I guess this means we can already skip this step later.” The blonde omega wiggles his brows at Jaehyun, as the other lets them both in their apartment.

“Is that your way of saying you never want to do yoga again?”

“What do you say about a weekend hike instead? Just like the old times.” Jaehyun almost scoffs,_so much for taking it easy_, but as long as they take a moderate route, perhaps in Namsan so they’ll have the option to take the cable car should things get a little difficult, it’s not such a bad idea.

The alpha has never been able to say no to Yuta, and with a baby on the way, the intent to please is stronger than ever. “Okay, but only if you promise to tell me when it gets too much for you.”

“Deal!” The close mouthed smile that stretches across the omega’s face, and the way his eyes turn into tiny crescents nearly make the alpha’s heart skip a beat, he blames it on his natural alpha instincts (even though he knows it’s not entirely that).

_(And Yuta, for his part, doesn’t forget to throw the pile of crumpled papers from Jaehyun’s bag in the bin that same evening)_

** _Sleeping arrangements_ **

While morning sickness and general sensitivity to scents has never been an issue (except for that one time Jaehyun accidentally burned the garlic for their fried rice), the real problem comes at the end ofthe first trimester. At this point, the still small but now obvious swell of Yuta’s belly has started to get in the way of his usual routine.

The Japanese omega has now taken to wearing Jaehyun’s oversized sleep shirts over his usual tank tops that now lay at the very bottom of their laundry hamper. Jeans still work, but only because he’s always had a small waist and wide hips, and most of his jeans were at least two sizes bigger in the waist area.

But those are minor things, Yuta can continue stealing Jaehyun’s shirts and hoodies until he’s too big to fit even in them; the actual problem comes at night, when he barely gets two hours of shut-eye before he jolts awake for one of the multiple bathroom breaks throughout the night; he gets to have the bedroom with the ensuite bathroom for this exact reason. Going back to sleep is another predicament. Yuta has always been a restless sleeper, he tosses and turns and ends up in the weirdest positions his less than flexible body can afford him, but that’s how he gets his well deserved rest - however, the additional curve of a belly that isn't there before is now proving to be worthy of being added to the growing list of things that’s seriously trying his patience.

Yuta loves the baby and loves being pregnant, but he absolutely detests being deprived of sleep and not having any solution for it.

And that’s how Jaehyun startles awake in the middle of the night in his pitch black room (he never could sleep with any lights on), cold and feeling a slight dip on the left side of his bed, a noticeable lump under his missing duvet. Unless their new apartment is haunted, he's pretty sure he knows the culprit.

“Hyung?” the alpha asks, eyes bleary and adjusting to the darkness to make out the figure that’s come to invade half his bed space.

“Hmm”

“What’s wrong?” Jaehyun peels the duvet back to run his fingers through Yuta’s faded blonde hair, the dark brown roots very prominent even in the darkness of the room.

“Can’t sleep.” The alpha can hear the sniffle that came with the response. Even without seeing Yuta’s face, he can imagine the tears of exhaustion and frustration pooling in those big eyes. So Jaehyun does what Jaehyun does best, he turns fully on his side, facing the omega, and raises an arm as invitation. Yuta always slept best curled up against his chest after sex, Jaehyun's sure that's one thing that hasn't changed.

The older of the two wastes no time and scoots into Jaehyun’s warm embrace; if Jaehyun is bothered by the firm pressure of his belly pressed against his own, he doesn’t say a word about it.

It becomes a nightly thing between them; Yuta climbing into Jaehyun’s bed past midnight, the younger accommodating him without a word. Eventually, Jaehyun deems it quite dangerous for Yuta to be navigating a room full of sharp corners and solid wood furniture in the dark, so he starts leaving the lamp on the side table on, after ordering a pair of eye masks for himself.

When he wakes up one morning to a well-rested Yuta still snoozing beside him, wearing one of Jaehyun’s old t-shirts that’s hiked up over his belly, a skinny arm thrown over the alpha’s broad chest and one leg tangled with the duvet that’s been kicked to their feet, Jaehyun thinks he can get used to this arrangement.

But they might as well just move to the master bedroom now, if this is how it's going to be for the whole pregnancy.

** _Pregnancy glow_ **

Yuta has never been one to bother with appearances, that’s more of a Jaehyun thing. Sure, he owns a few flashy jewellery and at least three pairs of super skinny jeans, but he’s also not the type to regularly check himself in the mirror, nor is he one to fix his mussed up hair (which is a more common sight for Jaehyun nowadays, with Yuta being less and less enthusiastic about getting out of bed), despite being fully aware of it.

However, the omega does love experimenting on his hair and is daring enough to try a variety of colours. In fact, he’s been every type of blonde, for almost as long as Jaehyun has known him. He’s gone pink, purple and platinum, before he settled for his current strawberry blonde hair. Yuta once jokingly said that half his life's savings have been invested in his hair alone.

It's no wonder that Jaehyun has almost forgotten how a dark head of hair looks on the older man until he walks into their door one day after a day out with Ten and Taeyong, a satisfied smile on his face and newly darkened tresses somewhere in between chocolate and auburn, framing his small face. This is the closest shade to his natural hair colour he’s had in years.

And he absolutely glows in it.

“How do you like the new do? I know the doctor said hair dye is fine, but I can’t bear the thought of bleaching my roots every few months and exposing the baby to those kinds of chemicals. I mean, the shit burns my scalp and sinus, what more for my poor baby who hasn’t even developed a lung yet?” Yuta rambles on theatrically, seemingly unaware of his effect on the alpha.

“Oh and the hairdresser made my roots a little darker, that way, I won’t need to come back for a touch up, at least until the baby’s born.Look, look,” The older man drops his bag on the coffee table, on top of the various accounting books the alpha’s been buried in for the last hour, in favour of shoving his head to a flabbergasted Jaehyun, almost climbing over the younger man.

Jaehyun resists the urge to run his fingers through the soft looking locks, and settles with fixing his glasses to keep his hand busy. Yuta only scoots closer, if that’s even possible, in their (new and thankfully) 3-seater couch. It seems as if the older man has finally caught on to the way Jaehyun leans as far back as the couch allows, and a smirk tugs on the newly brunette’s lips.

“What is it? It doesn’t look nice on me? Or…” Jaehyun knows that look, it’s what got them into this mess in the first place, and the older man is anything but apologetic when he continues, “am I giving you a hard on?”

Jaehyun is a strong man with a strong resolve but even he wavers in the face of a very attractive omega with the prettiest eyes and softest lips, emitting the most pleasant of scents. It doesn’t take long for him to find his long fingers (finally) buried in the newly dyed hair, glasses askew and fogged up from their impromptu make out session; his accounting homework now pushed at the very back of his mind.

“I can’t believe you have a hair kink, Jaehyun.” Yuta says moments later, disconnecting his bruised lips from the other’s to catch his breath. He’s still sitting in the alpha’s lap, uncaring of the way he’s cutting the circulation off the taller man’s thighs, and Jaehyun doesn’t really mind, not when he’s already leaning in to peck the older man on the lips.

“I absolutely do not. You practically seduced me.” The alpha says in between the small kisses.

“I did nothing of the sort. Just admit it Jaehyun, you might have a tiny bit of crush on me.”

“Do you want me to remind you of that time you got all horny from me wearing ugly, purple sweatpants?” Yuta appears to mull over the memory, before shrugging. He proceeds to wrap himself all over Jaehyun instead.

“Fair.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally get more characters introduced in this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing Lucas too <3
> 
> Have you guys seen the new Yujae pics from NY? They're such a lovely pair, and Yuta's long hair needs to be framed.

** _Part-time job_ **

It isn’t long before Jaehyun decides that he needs to be a bit more independent from his parents, especially now with his own baby on the way. His university load is a little lighter recently, with him being in the last two years of his programme and winter break just around the corner.

The pair of them has lived the last few months off Jaehyun's allowance (which has increased considerably since his parents found out about the pregnancy) and Yuta’s pay at the studio. They’re now in the second trimester, and the baby is growing at a rate the Japanese man can’t keep up with. With a heavier belly, moving around has become an issue, and the ongoing transition from the pleasant breeze of autumn to the biting cold of winter has made the pregnant man more susceptible to common colds. It’s become a frequent occurrence for Yuta to take a day or two off from work, using up all his paid leave in the process. Their expenses on the other hand, are in its all time high.

A part-time job is the best solution the young alpha can come up with. While the pay may not be as big as Yuta’s, it will, at least, lift the burden of having to rely on his parents for even the smallest things, like prenatal vitamins, or the month’s heating and hydro bills.

Yuta is not entirely pleased with the idea (which he found out from snooping around Jaehyun’s iPad, hoping to expose the younger’s private search history for blackmail but only getting the most wholesome surprise). Yuta is very verbal with his opposition, he thinks it’s going to be a distraction for Jaehyun, arguing that the younger man’s programme requires his full, undivided attention, _‘You chose to take up accounting of all things, now suck it up and keep your focus where it needs to be.’_ Of course, he doesn’t forget to mention the fact that the younger man is already burdened with an unplanned pregnancy, ‘_stop calling it a burden, it’s the exact opposite of that’_ Jaehyun would grumble in response.

“Just think of it as me finally growing up and being my own man” was Jaehyun’s final argument, and there’s no way Yuta can say no to that, knowing that the younger man has been struggling with the way he’s always being treated among their friends, being the youngest of the group. So they end up agreeing, on the condition that Jaehyun will only be working a maximum of 15 hours a week outside school breaks.

So the alpha opts to spend the following Friday afternoon in the library with Sicheng, one of his very few friends from class, going through job postings on the library computer, out of Yuta’s prying eyes for once. He adores the omega, that’s for sure, they’ve been best friends for years, but he can really be a bit overbearing recently — the alpha hopes this is just a phase brought on by the pregnancy.

“Try the record store in Gangnam, the pay looks good, and you’re pretty knowledgeable in that area.” Jaehyun nods as Sicheng points out one particular posting.

“But the location is gonna be a problem. It’s at least twenty minutes away by subway from my place.”

“You’ll just have to adjust then, no? It’s not like you don’t travel the same distance from home to school.”

“I can't do anything about university but If I can, I'd rather not be working on the other side of the city if anything were to happen to Yuta.” the alpha sighs into his hands. Sicheng is one of the few people outside their family and friend circle who know about the pregnancy. Yuta met the boy a few times and absolutely adores him, so it doesn't come as a surprise that the omega let the young beta in on the secret just a week after finding out about the pregnancy himself.

“Yuta hyung will be fine, he’s very good at taking care of himself. You’re just being overprotective now.” Sicheng groans, and checks the time on his phone for the nth time that afternoon, a clear indication that he’d rather be anywhere else than keeping Jaehyun company in the library on a Friday.

“Just humour me here, he is having my baby.” the alpha justifies, before turning a pleading look to the younger man, “Don’t you know any place that’s hiring? At least somewhere near Yuta’s work, if not our apartment?”

“Now that I think about it, there is one…but it might not be your kind of thing?”

“I wouldn’t know until I try, right?”

—

“Wow, you’re like, really handsome. Like a model. Or an idol.” A young beta, apparently called Donghyuck, practically screams in his face. The boy doesn’t seem familiar with the concept of personal space.

“Are you? A model or an idol in training?” A tall alpha with the brightest blonde hair that reminds Jaehyun a bit of Yuta’s, except it’s cut in a way that makes the boy look like a pre-schooler in the early nineties, asks in a soft voice. He recognises him as Jungwoo, from their earlier brief introductions. Another alpha, way taller than Jungwoo, and judging by his looks and strong accent, a foreign one, hovers behind the blonde. This one’s name, escapes Jaehyun, but he remembers it being a little complicated to pronounce.

“Umm, I’m pretty sure I'm too old to be a trainee.” Jaehyun says but these kids are purposely ignoring him in favour of scrutinising him from head to toe.

“Yeah, that can’t be, he wouldn’t be working here of all places otherwise.” The unnamed alpha gets smacked on the head with a rolled up newspaper by none other than the owner, an omega in his mid 20’s, who stands shorter than any of the staff in the room, but has the presence of a 7-foot tall alpha. It was just moments earlier when hetook one look at Jaehyun and decided he was exactly what they needed. Jaehyun wonders where Sicheng found such acquaintances, knowing the exchange student has only been in Korea for a year at most, and with his Korean being pretty much subpar.

“And what, pray tell, is wrong with working here?” Moon Taeil admonishes, but he does it with a hint of a smile, and it somehow eases the tension of meeting so many new people in just a short span of an hour for Jaehyun. He isn’t exactly the social type.

“The pay, first and foremost. When are you giving us a raise boss Moon?” The alpha whines, unfitting of his towering height. On closer inspection, Jaehyun finally gets a clear view of the name plate on the boy’s uniform, ‘_Lucas’ _is printed neatly in neon pink. He’s pretty sure that isn’t the same name he used when he introduced himself earlier, but Jaehyun finds the English name easier to remember.

“You can expect a raise when you can finally tell the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.” The imposing omega (Jaehyun thinks him and Yuta will get along pretty well) turns back to the newest addition to his staff, a smile now plastered on his face, “So Jaehyun, when can you start?”

—

Predictably, Yuta finds out about his new job in less than a day (the effort he puts in snooping around is astounding, considering he can’t even be bothered to grab the TV remote from the coffee table on most days and just settles watching the news in a language he’s never heard of) and the omega doesn’t waste a second rallying their friends to _‘visit’_ Jaehyun’s new workplace. The five of them - Ten, Taeyong, Doyoung, Johnny and Yuta - storm into the cafe one afternoon, only Doyoung looking the slightest bit apologetic amongst the bunch. Unsurprisingly, the group catches everyone’s attention; from Johnny’s imposing height, to Yuta’s very swollen stomach; even those of his new workmates.

“Whoa hyung, those are your friends? They look so cool!” Jungwoo exclaims in wonder, and the other alpha isn’t sure if they’re talking about the same crowd of people because there's no way in hell these idiots should ever be called cool. It doesn’t take more than ten minutes before Johnny approaches the counter, waving his long arms obnoxiously at Jaehyun, who’s behind the register, as if the younger alpha can’t spot him from a mile away.

“Yeah, unfortunately.”

“Don’t be like that Jaehyunnie! We just wanted to see how you were holding up on your first day at work.” Always the unnecessarily caring big brother that he is; it’s pretty hard to stay annoyed at Johnny. The shorter alpha’s face softens a bit at this.

“Just, please don’t get me fired on my first day.” Jaehyun practically pleads, pointing a finger to the group now seated beside the window. Everyone, even Ten - whose attention is always either on his phone or his Switch - are looking their way expectantly.

“Don’t worry about them, I promise we’ll behave, okay?” After giving the orders and saying their brief byes, Johnny makes his way back to the group, and Jaehyun doesn’t miss the way Yuta’s eyes linger on the counter, before turning back to whatever unfunny joke Taeyong is cracking (by the look on Doyoung’s face, a truly terrible one).

“Are all your friends so model-like? Have we seen the last of your kind or should we expect more surprises tomorrow?” The alpha feels Donghyuck approach before he hears him, which is a good thing because the boy still likes to be overly close and touchy and Jaehyun doesn’t deal well with people whispering right into his ear (unless they’re Yuta).

“That’s the last of them, since you apparently know Sicheng.”

“Sicheng?” Jaehyun is now confused, shooting an unsure glance towards their manager slash owner, who’s obviously watching them in secret (he seems to think he's being subtle) from where he’s organising the bright pink trays.

“Chinese, pretty tall himself, handsome, subpar Korean?” Recognition lights up Donghyuck’s eyes, and he nods in acknowledgement.

“Ah Winwin!” the alpha makes a face at the nickname, not sure if such a sweet sounding name fits someone with the most extreme case of hot-cold personality. But not a lot of things surprise him anymore.

** _Regular customer_ **

  
****

The advantage of working close to the dance studio is, obviously, the proximity to Yuta. The disadvantage, also the proximity to Yuta. While Jaehyun thinks he has everything figured out, he often forgets that anything involving Yuta never goes according to plan.

The Japanese man has made it a habit to spend lunch time everyday at the cafe — not that he’s digging a hole in their pockets because he still eats the packed lunches Jaehyun makes for him, and Taeil adores him too much to bother with the fact that Yuta’s using his cafe like a cafeteria — often dragging Taeyong or Ten (who works nearby too) with him. There are days he also manages to accost Johnny, who works at least twenty minutes away; Jaehyun suspects it involves a lot of puppy eyes and guilt tripping. And while Yuta hasn’t done much to warrant the attention of anyone other than a passing admirer or two, it’s still pretty unnerving having to watch people openly stare at the pregnant omega (and not all of them are admiring ones) and not have a say in it.

Curiously, none of the other staff at the cafe has figured out the connection between him and Yuta and the alpha has Yuta to thank for that. The omega is dead set on making sure their personal business stays between them only; not even Taeil, who’s already on friendly terms with the pregnant omega, has been privy to his baby’s father’s identity. While Jaehyun may have been a bit upset about this secrecy thing, he eventually comes to realise that the older man’s decision has more to do with protecting the younger man’s image over anything else.

_“We don’t want someone from your class walking in the cafe and seeing you fuss all over a pregnant omega you shouldn’t have in the first place.” _the brunette insisted with finality.

Today is one of their busiest at the cafe, The queue is nearly long enough to reach the door and all three of the younger boys have been working non-stop waiting tables and cleaning up after the first wave of lunch time customers. Jaehyun, as per Taeil’s instructions, stays behind the cash at all times, the _‘customer magnet’_ as the boys have once put it.

“You’re so popular hyung, we’ve never had this many people here at once,” Lucas tells the older alpha when he gets his first breather of the day while unloading the dirty plates from his tray, “it’s a war zone out there.”

“Don’t exaggerate, and I’m sure our coffee is just exceptional.” Jaehyun says, keeping his smug smile behind his hand as he pretends to fix the collar of his baby blue button up uniform. He isn’t good at dealing with compliments but he sure doesn’t mind receiving them from time to time.

“Have you actually tasted our coffee? I think only Hyuck has the stomach for it-“ A balled up paper napkin hits Lucas’ head, thrown presumably by Taeil (who seems to always lurk behind his employees just for the heck of it) and the young alpha screeches about how the napkin better not have been a used one.

Jaehyun is too preoccupied with the mini altercation happening behind him to notice Ten now standing next in line, “Oh hey, hyung. What’re you gonna have?” He already knows Yuta’s not ordering anything other than his favourite peach lemonade.

The omega looks at him thoughtfully for an entire second before shrugging, “A chicken wrap and an English breakfast tea with milk. Tell boss Moon his coffee needs a bit more work,” The last part is said in a hushed voice, nevertheless, Taeil mumbles a begrudging _‘I’m right here you know’_ behind Jaehyun.

Ten, of course, ignores the older omega, “and you know what he’s having.” he gestures to the window seat, where Yuta is quietly scrolling up his phone, his food containers taking up half the table space (Jaehyun might’ve gone overboard with the side dishes). Jaehyun sees the two kids, Hyuck and Jungwoo, making their way towards the pregnant omega, probably to savour the attention Yuta openly showers them (Lucas being his favourite) despite having at least two more tables to wait.

The alpha nods in affirmation, before he repeats the order and punches them in the register, “Lucas, you go make the drinks. Less sugar for the peach lemonade, okay?”

“Roger that!” The tall alpha says with his characteristic big smile as he ducks out of the way of another projectile from Taeil, “hyung stop wasting napkins, the poor trees!”

Meanwhile, Jaehyun pretends to ignore the knowing looks Ten throws his way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of mistakes on this one, I didn't have time to reread and correct them. I'll be back on this to edit them when I get the chance. For now, here ya go, more Jaeyu/Yujae fluff

** _Baby boy_ **

  
****

The young alpha takes his first day off work to accompany Yuta to the doctor’s. Today is the day they find out the gender of the baby. Johnny is more excited than both of them combined, and volunteers to drive them to the clinic because 1) Jaehyun still doesn’t have a license nor his own car and 2) taking the subway, with its crowded cars and the lack of elevators at stations, will no longer work for Yuta.

That’s how Johnny ends up sitting in the examination room next to Jaehyun, holding the younger man’s hand like he’s more nervous than both of them (he probably is), while Yuta calmly watches the computer screen where he’s lying down, trying to make sense of the blue and black animated image. Neither the cold gel on his bare stomach, nor the three pairs of eyes watching him seem to bother him the tiniest bit. They’ve done this before, Jaehyun and Yuta, earlier in the pregnancy, and the baby had been the size of an olive. Today it looks bigger but still doesn’t look anywhere near what they imagine a baby would look like, so it’s only understandable that the omega is a little on the underwhelmed side.

“So, are you ready to know the gender?” The doctor smiles at all three of them, holding the clipboard to her chest in the most stereotypical doctor way. Yuta nods enthusiastically while Johnny tightens his grip on Jaehyun’s hand. This is the moment they’ve all been waiting for, they’ll finally know what colour to get the bibs and onesies in.

“It’s a boy. Congratulations!”

“No way!” Johnny is the first to break the silence, cupping both hands over his mouth like the big softie he is.

“Oh thank goodness, everything is so much more expensive in pink!” Yuta claps his hands delightedly, already imagining the little football jerseys he’ll be putting the baby in, “I mean, of course he can still get pink stuff if he wants to, but at least we won’t have to deal with that until he starts asking for them” The omega continues, mostly to himself.

Jaehyun on the other hand, remains disconnected to his surroundings; still staring at the computer screen, trying to connect the fact that the image that’s coming in and out of focus at the smallest sounds, one that barely resembles a baby, is their son. _A son_. Yuta’s and his. The thought alone makes everything feel more real. Up to now, the changes in their daily lives have been almost dream-like, and if not for the steady swelling of Yuta’s midsection, Jaehyun could fool himself into believing they’re just a pair of roommates who occasionally cuddle and cook for each other (albeit Yuta fails specularly at it).

He’s going to be a dad — Jaehyun repeats the words in his head — to a boy who could have his thick, sometimes unruly, hair, or Yuta’s huge eyes and his weird hitchhiker’s thumb, a boy who could have Yuta’s propensity for running his mouth and getting into trouble, or be really good in maths like Jaehyun. A boy that’s half him and half Yuta.

“That’s amazing,” This time, Jaehyun turns his gaze to his best friend of years and the man who’s carrying his _son_, before he repeats, “That’s amazing, Yuta.”

Yuta, looking a little taken aback, stops his animated clapping, the huge smile dropping in favour of a smaller, more reserved one, directed only to Jaehyun this time. The understanding that settles between them at that moment puts all the alpha’s previous doubts aside. Had it been only the two of them in that room, he would’ve scooped Yuta up in a tight embrace, partly out of gratitude — because he couldn’t have gone through with it if not for Yuta’s headstrong determination, or the positive outlook he maintained throughout the pregnancy — and partly because he might be just a little bit smitten with the image of the little family they’re about to build together.

His little daydream is interrupted by Johnny gently ruffling his hair, a habit that goes back to when they were all still in university together, and Jaehyun was still the naive kid who passionately followed his Yuta hyung around like an overexcited puppy.

“Do you think we can have copies of the baby’s picture?” Yuta breaks the silence that’s settled in the room with his cheery voice, with no hint of the emotional moment that he and Jaehyun shared just moments ago.

“Of course, I’ll get them ready for you after this.” The doctor nods as she hands Yuta a box of Kleenex to clean the gel off. Jaehyun detaches himself from an overemotional Johnny, to help Yutainto a sitting position, despite the latter’s obvious disdain towards the action.

“Thank you, Jae.” If they weren’t mere inches away from each other, Jaehyun would’ve undoubtedly missed the words, spoken so softly in a tone Yuta only ever adopts when he lets his guards down.

“I should be the one thanking you.” The alpha says in return, helping tug the oversized sweater down to cover the other’s exposed belly. It doesn’t take long for Johnny to interrupt the moment, reminding them that he only has fifteen minutes left on his free parking before he has to pay a small fortune because, _‘ugh, Seoul’_ the tallest man whines in the way he knows gets on everyone’s nerves.

After receiving the extra copies of the ultrasound picture, the three of them make their way back to Yuta and Jaehyun’s apartment, where the latter promised a home-made Italian dinner for the three of them, in place of a gender reveal party (_“I’m pretty sure Ten is still throwing me one anyway” _Yuta casually points out).

  
****

The following day, Jaehyun finds out what the extra copies of the ultrasound picture are for when he receives congratulatory messages from their friends on Kakaotalk, while a miffed Taeyong sends him a picture of the note behind one of the copies, in Yuta’s neat handwriting:

_“now accepting gifts for the baby. Y’all are so lucky, ‘cause you won’t need to get expensive pink onesies, unless you’re Ten, then you have to buy everything in all available colours.”_

Jaehyun ignores the weird stares he gets when he accidentally lets out a small, amused laugh at the message, halfway through his Financial Accounting class. Beside him, Sichenggives him a pointed look, before shaking his head in resignation.

** _Trouble_ **

As strong and independent as Yuta thinks himself to be, there will always be _interesting_ situations a presence of an alpha friend (or boyfriend) would have prevented. Like the one Yuta finds himself in halfway through his lunch at Moon Cafe; a fairly muscular but not very tall alpha hovers over his table, despite there being at least three unoccupied ones just across them. A few months ago, he would have readily assumed that the guy is trying to hit on him (which is not an uncommon occurrence), but now it just leaves him a bit confused because there’s no way this alpha missed his very round belly. Jaehyun’s oversized sweater isn’t exactly doing a good job of concealing it.

Yuta is alone today, for the first time in the five weeks he’s been frequenting Jaehyun’s workplace; Taeyong is down with the flu and Ten is away on a business trip. He could’ve begged Johnny to accompany him for the day but he knew better than to disturb the tall alpha in the middle of an important shoot that happens to fall on that same day. Yuta now regrets not having called Johnny.

“As you can see, there’s no available seats here.” Yuta moves his lunch bag to the empty chair next to him to emphasise his point. Whether this alpha is really making a pass at him or just trying to sell him life insurance, Yuta's hardly in the mood to entertain anyone, he just wants to finish his lunch (spicy rice cakes, Yuta’s favourite, and a compromise from his nutritionist slash baby daddy, after weeks of bland food) in peace.

“Don’t be silly, I know you’re not with anyone today, Yuta.” The alpha drawls in a way that leaves Yuta seriously bothered, on top of the fact that this creepy dude knows his name.

“Ah, don’t look at me like that, I’ve been watching you since you started coming here everyday. Such a pretty name, I assume you’re from Japan?” The man continues, uncaring of the way he’s making the pregnant omega obviously uncomfortable. _Great, some alpha with a fetish for Japanese omegas_, Yuta thinks in disdain.

Yuta doesn’t bother to address the man’s question, “Well I don’t really appreciate stalkers. And I’m not interested, if this isn’t enough indication.” he points to his pregnant belly, raising a challenging brow at the alpha who’s shamelessly taken the seat next to him after moving his lunch bag back on the table.

“You don’t have an alpha though, do you?” The man gestures to the juncture between his shoulder and neck, where Jaehyun’s sweater doesn’t cover the absence of a bonding mark and Yuta flinches at the mention of it. “and I’m pretty sure your baby’s father isn’t that fairly short alpha you’re always with. You don’t smell like him at all.”

Yuta normally joins in on any form of dissing of Taeyong's person, but this guy is a creep who has obviously been watching them for a while now, judging by how well he knows Yuta and the friends he comes to the cafe with, enough that he can even recognise their scents by now. The thought makes Yuta bristle; he’s always valued his privacy, so he does the unthinkable, and defends Taeyong. He’s gonna tell Taeyong about it later and demand that he buy Yuta an expensive gelato ice cream as compensation.

“You’re not that tall yourself, and that _short_ alpha you’re talking about? He can, and will punch your face in faster than you can say his name. Again, I’m not interested. Can you just, I don’t know, move along and leave me alone?” Yuta makes sure to keep his voice down, not wanting to attract the attention of the other patrons nor the staff (who, thankfully, seem to be too busy setting up the pastry display, while Jaehyun is strangely nowhere in sight), despite the agitation bubbling in his chest.

“Why are you so prickly? I’m just trying to be friends. Is it the baby? I don't mean to be too forward but have you ever tried pregnant sex? It’s a great way to unwind and I can—“

Before Yuta can point out that that's going beyond being forward, he’s interrupted by the obnoxiously loud voice of the resident overgrown kid coming to his defence, obviously having heard their earlier exchange. Figures that Lucas would be that one person who pays more attention to the customers’ personal businesses than his actual job.

“Hey, lay off him, will ya? He already said he’s not interested.”

“This is none of your business kid, no one needs you here.”

“And you don’t have business bothering Yuta hyung either, leave or I’m tossing you out myself.” Yuta internally commends the way the boy uncharacteristically keeps his cool, something not very Lucas like. But between them, Yuta is older and it's his job to protect kids like Lucas from creepers like this one, regardless of their secondary gender; he can’t have the young alpha fighting his battles for him.

“Hey, Lucas, it’s okay, I can handle this.” _So much for keeping it low, _Yuta thinks, noticing the attention they managed to attract so far, since Lucas stepped in. He holds the young alpha back by the arm, not trusting the younger not to lunge at the guy, not that he can blame him.

“See? This is what happens when you play hard to get, people start meddling. Now you don’t have to give me an answer right away, here’s my number, you can call me whenever you’re up to it.” The guy hands a piece of paper to Yuta, who’s a split second away from tearing it to pieces before a larger hand grabs it from him. The omega looks up and isn’t entirely surprised to find Jaehyun with the coldest, most menacing look he's ever seen on his face. It doesn’t take long to spot the other two kids, Jungwoo and Donghyuck hovering a few feet away (they seem to be the ones who fetched Jaehyun), and even Taeil is approaching the scene, having abandoned the pastry display and leaving the counter unattended. Now Yuta feels embarrassed about the commotion.

“There’s no need for that, nobody’s making any phone call on my watch.” Yuta often forgets how scary Jaehyun can be when provoked; the younger man manages to look imposing even in his ridiculous powder blue cafe uniform, and his stupidly handsome baby face.

The stranger furrows his brow in annoyance before he seemingly connects the dots, perhaps after getting a whiff of Jaehyun when the younger alpha snatched and crumpled up the slip of paper.

“Really? This guy? He doesn’t even look alpha enough to get any omega pregnant.” The guy grumbles in disbelief, crudely pointing a finger at Jaehyun’s face, who looks pretty irked himself.

And anyone who’s properly known Yuta knows that while he’s loud and a bit rough around the edges, he’s not one to incite unnecessary arguments or engage in petty fights, but the need to bite back is pretty strong in this one, probably because the bastard really just took a jab at Jung fucking Jaehyun — kind, caring and smart Jaehyun, Korea’s golden boy and Yuta’s best friend and baby daddy.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Have you seen him? He’s like a whole Michaelangelo sculpture! Why the fuck would I need to look at your ugly mug when I have him to look at everyday? And please, if anyone has any issues getting any omega pregnant, it’s definitely not him.”

The guy sputters, taken aback by Yuta’s unexpectedly crass language and fierce nature. He doesn’t have the time to be scandalised however, as Hyuck steps forward from behind Jaehyun nonchalantly, a tiny devilish smirk on his face. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just called 112 and the police should be on their way. I’d be running away from here super fast, if I were you.” the boy directs the last sentence to the troublemaking alpha.

The alpha pales in a matter of seconds, scrambling to get out of the chair; unfortunately, he has to go around Yuta’s chair and by default, the imposing Jaehyun too, to get to the door, with the way the tables have been set. He pauses in front of the two, having already gotten his fill of humiliation for the day, but Yuta isn’t done yet. Nope.

“Oh, and for your question earlier? Pregnant sex? I’m having plenty of that thank you very much,” Yuta makes a point to glance to the man’s crotch, looking no less appalled, as he stands up from his chair with much effort, “and judging by what I see, there’s absolutely no way you can outperform him.” The Japanese man finishes with a jab of his thumb in Jaehyun’s direction; the latter’s face remain impassive but his ears have turned bright red at the tips, giving away his mortification, while the younger boys gape at them.

Finally deciding he has enough of the the pervert's face, Yuta steps aside and Jaehyun instinctively opens his arms for him to squeeze into, making just enough space for the pervert to pass through, as fast as he can manage in a fairly small cafe now starting to fill out with customers (mostly Jaehyun’s fans, who probably keep track of his break schedule), but not without muttering an indignant _“You all are a crazy bunch. This bitch isn’t worth it”_, needless to say, Jaehyun almost punched him for it.

After the commotion died down, Jaehyun asks Taeil for another fifteen minute break to take Yuta back to the dance studio, now feeling a little wary of the fact that there are some seriously unhinged alphas who get off on the sight of unmated, pregnant omegas. He also avoids his co-workers’ curious looks the entire time. He can deal with them once he’s sure that Yuta’s safely deposited back in his office (Taeyong’s, actually) at the studio.

_—_

Jaehyun, however, doesn’t expect to catch all three of his co-workers handing crumpled bills to a smug looking Taeil. Lucas whines something about unfair advantages and being completely broke until their next pay.

“I seriously can’t believe it’s actually Jaehyun hyung, I mean, he’s always with Taeyong isn’t he?” As much as Jaehyun should feel offended by the fact that he was completely overlooked as the potential father to Yuta’s baby, he does like the way Hyuck drops all formalities when it comes to Taeyong, so he lets the snubbing slide.

“And Johnny hyung, the dude works on the other side of the city but still has regular lunch dates with Yuta hyung, and he gushes over potential baby names!” Lucas grumbles, still in disbelief.

“I mean, we could all smell you on him on some days, but we all knew you were roommates so that was only natural. And we also thought you had some secret lover you refused to let us know about. That Sicheng guy?” Jungwoo turns to the exasperated Jaehyun, who took over the task of arranging the pastries, something they should’ve done an hour ago but were too distracted to.

“Sicheng IS boss Moon’s WinWin, oh my god, how many times do I have to keep repeating that.” Jaehyun makes gagging noises at the implication, before remembering something, “Boss Moon, how did you figure it out?”

The cafe owner pretends to be surprised for being called out (even though everyone and their mother knows Moon Taeil listens in on every conversation that takes place inside Moon Cafe). The omega carefully stacks the trays on the side of their pastry display before shrugging his shoulders.

“Dunno, I just had a feeling. Maybe it’s the way you always customise Yuta’s drinks without being told to, or how you make him all that elaborate lunches everyday. I’m pretty sure Yuta’s not that good of a cook.” The older man winks — and fails miserably, with both of his eyes fluttering shut— before leaving the boys to pick up the rest of the workload in favour of doing the crosswords on the morning paper.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos! and sorry for any errors you might find. Again, I'll try to correct any mistakes later on.
> 
> I know I've been a little slow with this fic but I'm hoping to finish it in 10 chapters or less. I've got so many good plots for YJ that I might end up with a hundred WIP fics and that's exactly what I'm gonna try to avoid, so let's hope I can wrap this up as planned.
> 
> Also, the baby is coming soon! This is the part I'm most excited to write. I live for soft!dad Jaehyun and strong but fiercely protective Yuta

** _Shopping_ **

If there is anything Yuta isn’t looking forward to in relation to his pregnancy, it’s the shopping. But if there is anything rewarding at all with the experience, it’s to see the child-like wonder that's overcome Jaehyun ever since they stepped foot in the newborn section of the local department store. The younger man has been tugging nonstop at Yuta’s sweater every time something tiny and fluffy catches his attention. It’s no wonder their shopping basket is already almost full, when it hasn’t even been half an hour since they started and not a single thing that they originally planned to get has been added to it yet.

“Did you bring our list with you?” Yuta subtly reminds the other to stay on track (and on budget) by way of mentioning the list they so meticulously put together the evening before, to avoid this exact scenario. But it’s too late now, there’s no way Jaehyun is taking any of the small sweaters and fleece rompers with bunny ears out of the basket, even if he has to dig a hole in their savings.

“It’s on my phone, but I remember all of them.” Jaehyun replies without sparing a glance in Yuta’s direction, too busy choosing between fleece and wool booties.

“And yet we still haven’t gotten a single item from the list. Also, don’t you think we have too many sweaters already? He’s gonna outgrow them in like, three months.”

“It’s okay Yuta, he can be the the cutest and most comfortable baby in those three months then.” Yuta decides there’s no way he’s going to win this one, so he leaves Jaehyun to fuss over the booties and makes his way to the accessories section, obviously meant for baby girls judging by the excessive use of the colour pink. If Jaehyun is gonna stray from the right path, there’s no reason for Yuta not to do the same.

The omega scans the small headbands, hair clips and even little crowns and catches himself before he breaks into a full grin. He can already imagine the baby being born with a full head of hair, there’s absolutely no way it will be otherwise. Jaehyun’s mother showed him the alpha’s pictures as a newborn, with his unruly helmet of hair looking too big for his infant head. He also knows for a fact that the abundance of hair runs on his side of the family too; Yuta too, was born with hair, and so were his sisters.

The omega picks up a colourful bundle of hair ties with little ribbons on them. He tests the elastics and smiles when he finds they’re just the right softness to hold onto wispy baby hair without pulling too tight. He walks back to where Jaehyun is still busy flipping through baby clothes like his basket isn’t already almost overflowing.

“Hey don’t buy out the store. Our friends won’t have anything left to buy for the baby shower.” Yuta nudges the younger man, who only blinks at him through his favourite round glasses, probably not even aware that Yuta disappeared for a few minutes.

“Do you think the teal bib would match better with the onesies I got? Or Is the powder blue one better?” Jaehyun lifts the two bibs in question after adjusting the shopping basket on his wrist, and Yuta honestly doesn't see much of a difference between the two. “Oh, what’s that you got?” The colourful hair ties in Yuta’s hand catch the younger man’s attention because the baby being born with hair is something they've never brought up with each other.

“Hair ties, cute aren’t they? They come with little ribbons too.” The shorter man dangles little bundle in Jaehyun’s face, to show off the ribbons that he can imagine will be sitting on top of his son’s little head in just a few more weeks, “and go with teal, I guess, you can never go wrong with teal.”

Jaehyun nods, and throws the teal bib into the basket, “Isn’t it a bit too early for that? I don’t think you’ll be able to tie his hair so soon.”

The omega merely shrugs, “You’d be surprised. The baby and I will have matching ponytails before you know it.” Yuta doesn’t miss the fond look on Jaehyun’s face as soon as the words leave his mouth. He’s about to tease the other about it when the younger man’s attention suddenly shifts to somewhere behind him.

“Oh, I see where the feeding bottles are now, I’ve been wondering where they were.” Yuta scoffs because he's sure Jaehyun has known all along, he's just incredibly distracted. The section is at the farthest corner of the store and Yuta groans when he realises. A five minute walk feels like eternity when you’re thirty weeks pregnant, which is why the omega pushes Jaehyun forward in the direction of the bottles.

“Finally, something that’s actually in our list. I trust you to make the right colour choices Jae.” Any confusion Jaehyun previously had clears when Yuta takes a seat in one of the only cushioned benches they have in the store, taking their full shopping basket from Jaehyun to put in on the floor by his feet.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few. Don’t go anywhere by yourself.” Yuta salutes the alpha in response, earning a small chuckle from the tall man before he scrambles in the direction of the bottles. The omega takes the chance to stretch and lean back, using his hands for support to compensate for the absence of a backrest.

Between the two of them, Jaehyun has always been the more passionate one when it comes to errands, always trying to accomplish his tasks at the best of his abilities. It comes as no surprise that he takes forever in the bottles section; Yuta can imagine the younger man glued to his phone this very moment, googling and stressing over the relevance of the different sizes and types of feeding bottles.

Yuta is a very patient man (and very pregnant too, so it’s not like he has much of a choice) so he sits quietly on the bench, waiting for the alpha while riffling through the stuff Jaehyun collected in the basket.

“Yuta? Is that really you?” A familiar voice startles Yuta out of his stupor, one he hasn’t heard in a long while. The omega swivels around with much care, one hand flat on the bench for support.

“Sehun hyung!”

“I can’t believe I’d bump into you here of all places. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.” The tall alpha sets a hand on Yuta’s shoulder, stopping the younger’s attempt to stand up, and instead takes a seat in the space beside the other, "Look at you, you look ready to pop.”

“I know right, there’s only a few weeks left now. I can’t wait to finally see this little guy.” Yuta can’t help the pride the filters through his words as he settles a hand over his belly. He still can’t believe he’d run into Sehun just like this, after so many years; the other looks like he’s grown taller if that’s even possible. It may have something to do with the heeled dress shoes the other’s wearing.

“You look good Yuta. Pregnancy suits you. And you’re not blonde, that’s quite a change.” Sehun excitedly points out.

“And you look like a proper corporate guy now hyung. Maintaining blonde hair while pregnant is a bother, but I’ll definitely consider going light again once the baby’s out.” It doesn’t take long for the two of them to get comfortable in the conversation, and Yuta thinks they spend a solid ten minutes exchanging questions between each other, before Sehun finally gathers the courage to ask about the elephant in the room. To be fair, Yuta saw the question coming as soon as he recognised his former upperclassman.

“So, is it Ji Hansol’s?” Sehun drags the first syllable out, and adopts a soft tone as he searches Yuta’s face for any hint of offence at the question.

The Japanese man gives the other a small, rather reserved smile, “Hyung, we broke up when he left after graduation. Haven’t seen him since.”

“Oh, sorry, I had no idea. I seriously thought you two were gonna end up married with twenty children.” Yuta sees the moment panic sets in, and Sehun fumbles with his next words, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. You look happy though, so I’m glad.” the older man finishes, albeit awkwardly, gently patting Yuta’s thigh.

“I’m surprised you didn’t know hyung, I would’ve thought he’d keep you updated. But thank you. And I am, happy I mean. I’m having a somewhat easy pregnancy and the baby’s dad has been so helpful throughout.” This time, the smile Yuta flashes Sehun is more sincere. Yuta was a little wary of the older man at first because he’d always been closer to Yuta’s ex than he was with Yuta back in the day. But Sehun despite his general aloofness, has always treated Yuta with kindness and protectiveness that’s reminiscent of an older brother’s. Much like Johnny. It’s comforting to know that Sehun can still treat him with the same warmth, even knowing about his breakup with Hansol.

“I haven’t talked to him in a long time, and he never really tells me the important stuff. Anyway, I came here with my sister to pick up some stuff for her new baby. ” The tall alpha sighs, looking like he’d rather be here chatting up Yuta than accompanying the said sister, “she can get a handful when shopping so I better head back before I hear from her. It’s nice catching up with you though, and I really wish you have a safe delivery.” Yuta can sympathise with the older man, Jaehyun slips into this insufferable perfectionist slash obsessive daddy mode every time they have to do anything even remotely connected to the baby.

“Same here, you take care too hyung.” Yuta waves Sehun goodbye as the tall alpha walks towards the strollers section, where he likely left his sister. The nostalgia of meeting someone who he used to hang out with almost everyday and who is now practically a stranger to him, reminds Yuta that he’s grown up and moved on, as well as the world around him. He’s no longer the naive foreigner whose subpar Korean couldn’t even get him extra pickles on his McDonald’s burger. He’s now about to become a parent alongside his best friend and partner in crime, the only person who’s remained constant throughout the years.

It’s not too long later when he feels Jaehyun approach from behind him, interrupting his train of thoughts with his deep voice, “who was that?”, and Yuta gives the other one of his signature smiles, “he’s just a hyung back in university that you never got the chance to meet because he graduated before you came along.” When Jaehyun makes a unsure face, Yuta is quick to assure him that he’s really not being hit on by another weird ass alpha, and that _‘this is a crowded store in the heart of Gangnam, of course we’re gonna run into people we know.’, _Jaehyun lets it go with an exasperated _‘If you say so hyung’._

“What took you so long anyway?” Yuta prods, when he notices the new basket Jaehyun’s carrying, also pretty much filled to the brim, in addition to the one he left with Yuta.

“I got the rest of the stuff on the list. I figured I should grab them myself to save you all the walking.” Jaehyun quietly says and Yuta expresses his gratitude for the alpha’s consideration by pinching Jaehyun’s baby-soft cheek between his fingers.

The omega notes the barely noticeable shift in the other’s mood since he got back. Jaehyun is so good at masking his emotions that if Yuta isn’t as observant as he is, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Yuta says nothing about it however, only occasionally rummaging through the new basket on their way to the closest check out counter.

They quickly finish up their shopping, in hopes of being first on the taxi queue before everyone has to rush back home for dinner. While Yuta is curious about what could’ve set Jaehyun off in between their last playful banter and his solo venture into the feeding bottles section, he’d rather Jaehyun bring it up himself, if he’s willing to talk about it; Yuta knows Jaehyun and he knows about the alpha’s strong aversion to being forced to talk when he's not ready.

The weird atmosphere persists until they reach home, by then Jaehyun’s mood has taken a complete turn. The alpha uncharacteristically lines their shopping bags by the door instead of unpacking them on their coffee table to organise like he always does. This already has one of Yuta’s eyebrows raising.

Then the alpha turns to Yuta, an unreadable expression on his face, and leads him by the hand to the couch, gently but with an urgency Yuta’s only ever seen when the other has had too much to drink or had a particularly stressful day.

Jaehyun gets comfortable on the couch first, before guiding his very pregnant best friend to straddle his lap, not a single word of complaint on the uncomfortable weight Yuta’s probably putting on the alpha’s thighs. Jaehyun settles his hands on the older man’s waist, carefully arranging their position so he’s not squeezing Yuta’s belly, while making sure the omega has just enough space not to fall off the couch.

Yuta initiates the first touch of their lips, a light, close mouthed kiss that quickly progresses into something more needy and intense. Yuta loves nibbling and tugging on Jaehyun’s plump bottom lip, just as much as Jaehyun makes a habit of licking the seams of Yuta’s lips as if asking for permission to deepen a kiss. They’ve been doing this for a long time - long enough that Jaehyun has already kept track of every mole, every birthmark on the older man’s body, and he’s sure the same can be said for Yuta - but the need to explore further, to push the other over the edge and into a dangerous territories, as if they’re only just getting to know each other all over again, is strong and unwavering.

It doesn’t take long for Yuta’s eager hands to start exploring, starting off by tentatively squeezing Jaehyun’s biceps through his wool sweater, loving the way the muscles tense every time he shifts in the other’s lap. Then his hands continue downwards, towards the hem of the sweater, the only thing separating his curious hands from bare, heated skin.

To Yuta, being this close to Jaehyun, drunk in each other's scent, isn't anything out of the ordinary in the past year. He knows the other like the back of his hand, and knows exactly what Jaehyun needs, so he lifts Jaeyun's sweater up together with the t-shirt underneath it, pulling away from the other’s lips with an obscene pop, to pull them over the alpha’s head. He takes a moment to take in the sight of perfectly sculpted abs, a product of Jaehyun’s diligent workout routine that he always makes time for despite having his hands full with a pregnant Yuta. The omega runs his hands over Jaehyun’s stomach downwards, following the trail of hair that disappears under the younger man’s jeans. Yuta feels Jaehyun shiver, before the latter grabs his wandering hands.

“Should we take it to the bedroom? It’ll be more comfortable for you.” Jaehyun gestures to Yuta’s belly, still very thoughtful of the omega’s comfort despite the fire under his skin and the intense need to touch and claim.

“I was hoping you’d ask.” Yuta smiles, hands detangling from Jaehyun’s hold to wrap around the alpha’s neck, “let’s put those new pillows we got last week to good use, hmm?” he continues in between kisses, and Jaehyun groans in his mouth, letting his big hands slide down the other’s back to his hips, and for a moment Yuta thinks the younger man is going to lift him, if not for the sudden hesitation he sees in Jaehyun’s face.

“As much as I’d love to carry you to the bedroom, I don’t think I should risk losing my balance and dropping you.” Yuta gets the hint and shuffles out of Jaehyun’s lap, resting a hand under his belly as he pretty much waddles his way to the bedroom,

“Yeah that would be a mood killer. Race you to the bedroom!” The omega shouts, already halfway down the hallway. Jaehyun follows after, purposely walking slower to appease Yuta’s ego despite impatience throbbing in his veins.

Needless to say, it will be a long night ahead of them, Jaehyun’s glad he didn’t take that Sunday shift at work.

** _Name_ **

“I don’t think he’s even awake, Jae.” Yuta says softly, fingers threading through Jaehyun’s unbelievably thick hair, the younger man’s head in his lap with the side of his face pressed against the omega’s belly. Their couch is a little too small for their current position but they have enough experience in Johnny’s 2-seater couch to make it work. The baby has been moving around a lot recently, enough that Yuta sometimes has to get out of bed at night — just when he’s gotten comfortable — to play soft, instrumental music, or for Jae to hum a slow melody if he’s awake, to lull the baby back to sleep. Jaehyun somehow always finds an unconventional way to make use of these episodes.

“But Johnny always gets a reaction, even when he’s supposedly sleeping.” Jaehyun whines uncharacteristically, and Yuta detects a hint of jealousy in his tone. He can’t help but snort at that.

“That’s ‘cause Johnny’s loud as fuck, I don’t think any baby can sleep through his noise.” Yuta continues stroking Jaehyun’s hair, it’s grown a lot over the last few weeks. Jaehyun, who’s normally always so well put together hasn’t been keeping up with his bi-monthly appointments at the hairdresser’s; he knows it’s the stress of having to rush the nursery (they’re still missing a baby monitor and a change of sheets for the bassinet that Jaehyun insisted on getting over a crib, just because they’d be comfier for a newborn, despite its usability being limited to only six months) and baby proof the entire apartment, against Yuta’s reassurances that the baby won’t be anywhere near table corners until he’s crawling.

“But we need his opinion on this, I’m not taking chances.” Jaehyun says against Yuta’s belly, the latter feels the vibrations on his skin but it doesn’t bother him one bit. Jaehyun does that purposely, Yuta realises, when he feels the first stirrings in stomach, fluttery but solid movements.

“Okay now you’ve woken him. What’s wrong with the names I picked?”

“There’s nothing wrong with them. I just want him to have a say in it.”

“It's not like he can actually say anything about it, and I pride myself for being very good at naming. You need to trust me on this.”

“You have Jaenoh on the list.” Jaehyun points out with a frown and Yuta feels his cheeks heat up a little at the reminder. Dang, he thought he crossed that off the list earlier.

“They’re your two names combined! And I added it as a joke.” Yuta most definitely didn’t add it as a joke but Jaehyun doesn’t need to know that.

“There’s good reason I stuck with Jaehyun,” The alpha grumbles, before he feels a sudden pressure to the side of his face. He scoots back a little and almost melts at the shape of a little foot protruding from Yuta’s belly through his thin cotton t-shirt. When he first read online that you’ll be able to identify which part of the baby’s body is pressing against the stomach, he didn’t think it would be this detailed, and the sight of it still amazes him, “look, there he is!”

“He’s not even out yet and he’s already kicking you in the face for being annoying” Yuta laughs, proudly rubbing the spot with the baby’s foot fondly.

Jaehyun ignores the omega, and proceeds to pull up the list of names on his phone, courtesy of Yuta who’s taken to using Jaehyun’s phone over his own recently because it’s bigger and nicer to watch youtube videos on (Jaehyun likes to remind him that they bought a smart TV for a reason).

“Here we go, Yujin, Jinho, Youngjae, Yoonbin,” Jaehyun lists the names slowly and softly, pausing in between each name to give enough time for a reaction, if there’s even going to be any. Yuta finds it silly that they’re doing this but he humours the younger man’s whims; it’s not possible not to, not with the way he looks at Yuta’s belly like his entire world is in it. In hindsight, that's probably the case.

The little foot has long since disappeared and Yuta feels the baby move once or twice more, while Jaehyun continues reciting names, but they're smaller fluttering movements, instead of the usual summersaults. Yuta thinks it has something to do with Jaehyun’s melodic, deep voice, the same one that lulls their little acrobat to sleep most nights, and rather than get any strong reaction, Jaehyun’s probably doing the exact opposite.

“Moonjae, Jaeyun —“ Jaehyun pauses, and Yuta understands why, the sudden movement also takes him by surprise. A tiny limb presses up against Yuta’s belly, pulling the skin taught over the single spot by Jaehyun’s ear. It looks like a tiny fist and Yuta immediately puts a hand over the spot in a swell of affection.

“I could’ve sworn he’d fallen back asleep.” Yuta says in wonder, and Jaehyun grins, feeling somewhat accomplished.

“I’m pretty sure he made that fist bump at _‘Moonjae’_,” the alpha puts his hand over Yuta’s, feeling the way the fist retract almost as soon as it came, “I can’t believe he chose that one. He’s gonna be named after the cafe that serves the worst coffee in Seoul.”

“Listen, making coffee that terrible should be considered a feat, and it’s such a pretty name, it’s my personal favourite from the list,” Yuta says softly, nodding in approval and pretending like he doesn’t have another ten favourite names from the list, “and I did spend nearly half the pregnancy there. They have great tea selection.”

“Rather, making coffee that bad should be illegal.” Jaehyun snorts, sitting up carefully before grabbing the throw blanket from where it had been kicked to the other end of couch. He drapes the blanket over Yuta’s lap, while the latter complains about his already bad circulation being cut off, “anyway, it’s a good name. At least now we have a name to embroider on his bodysuits.”

“I can’t believe you took up embroidery for this. You’re turning into a housewife, Jaehyun.” Yuta says in between giggles, and Jaehyun gets back at him by poking the omega’s sleeping thighs, delighting in the colourful expletives the other lets out at the prickling sensation.

That evening, Yuta sits beside Jaehyun in bed, staying up much later that his normal bedtime. He watches the alpha personalise _Moonjae_’s bodysuits and bibs in silence, all bundled up in one of Jaehyun’s oversized hoodies that’s now permanently stretched over the stomach area, and half his body under their thick duvet and a handful of feather pillows. Jaehyun is just as cocooned in Yuta’s makeshift nest, something he’s learned to get used to (he did almost suffocate to death the first night), and has now come to love as one of Yuta’s little pregnancy quirks. Jaehyun thinks he can also get used to the way Yuta’s head lols to the side and onto Jaehyun’s shoulder, a comfortable and welcome weight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! the much awaited birth. So the whole delivery takes up the entire chapter, I made it that way because we've been building up for this moment anyway. So far it's been rainbows and sunshines for Yujae, they're excited new parents, who are also very young. But they haven't really addressed the elephant in the room have they?
> 
> So phase 2 of this fic will start from next chapter - Yujae being parents with the stress that comes with it and the fact that they're not romantically together, even if they do act married.

** _Jung Moonjae_ **

Jaehyun drags himself out of bed on a Sunday morning (noon, actually), truly and utterly wasted, his exhaustion running bone deep. He takes a moment in front of the bathroom mirror, wondering if he can pretend to have been hit by a truck the night before just to get off the afternoon shift at the cafe. He certainly looks no different from a roadkill with his bloodshot eyes with huge bags under them, and his sallow skin. He’s not even gonna talk about his hair, there’s absolutely no hope for it.

The night before had been one of the most taxing experiences in Jaehyun’s twenty two years of existence. He knows baby showers are kind of a must, and that Yuta somehow looked forward to it, despite knowing the chaos that came with their unfortunate selection of friends. The omega has always loved parties, especially when he’s at the centre of them.

What they overlooked however, is the fact that Taeyong and Doyoung are physically unable to stop fighting, and Ten sneaking in two 24-pack beers really didn’t help with that — Jaehyun dazedly remembers having to clean up shards of broken glass and squashed tomatoes off their kitchen floor at least three times that evening, while simultaneously trying to get coffee stains (courtesy of Yuta) out of his favourite jeans. Johnny, the only mostly normal albeit a tad overdramatic part of their little group, watched over the others the entire evening, if only to monitor the overall alcohol intake and to make sure it doesn’t get rowdy enough that the neighbours would call the police on them. He definitely has the expertise in the area, considering the number of times they almost got Johnny evicted from his own apartment.

Yuta had, of course, stuck with apple juice, and was mostly just interested in opening up gifts after gifts. The omega had been very vocal about leaving Ten’s enormous gift for last, and he wasn’t disappointed when he unboxed a limited edition stroller in lavender, _‘see, I told you we should wait for the baby shower first’_ Yuta tells Jaehyun, a smug look on his face. Jaehyun’s just glad he kept the receipt for the black and white (_‘and boring’_ the omega adds, every chance he got) stroller they got a month ago.

Jaehyun throws on an old t-shirt that’s lying at the foot of the bed and takes a quick peek at Yuta, still snoring under piles of pillows, on his way out of the bedroom. He makes the conclusion that pancakes are the easiest to make for breakfast when you’re hungover and thoroughly beat but still has a pregnant omega to feed. He would’ve honestly just settled with a cup of peppermint tea, but Yuta will be up soon, and he’ll be starving, considering it’s almost time for lunch.

The alpha shuffles into the kitchen (thankfully decent, thanks to his efforts alone) and grabs the berries from the freezer for their usual morning smoothie, he makes sure to throw in more spinach for Yuta. He’s pretty sure that the noise from the blender is enough to wake the omega up, despite making sure to close the bedroom door on his way out, so he quickly works on the pancake batter after pouring them each a glass of smoothie.

The pancakes are almost done when he hears the water running from the ensuite bathroom, and he stacks three on Yuta’s plate, drizzles them with maple syrup, and tops it with strawberries. He’s pleased with how it looks, and with only just a week left before the baby’s due, he’s been giving in to Yuta’s requests more, also lifting the ban on junk food and sweets.

Jaehyun clears the paper plates from the previous night from the counter to make space for their breakfast and almost tripping on one of the colourful balloons still scattered on the floor. He catches sight of some of their friends’ gifts that Yuta stacked on one of the stools, and smiles when he sees the colourful pyjamas from his co-workers, (plus boss Moon), who made sure to drop by after closing up at the cafe.

The water has stopped running for a while now and Jaehyun hasn’t heard a single sound coming from the bedroom since then; he idly wonders if Yuta’s fallen back asleep; he hopes the omega at least made his way back to the bed instead of snoozing in the tub, like the few incidents they had.

“Jung Jaehyun!” Jaehyun startles at the hoarse, but undeniably loud voice, almost dropping Yuta’s plate. The alpha brushes it off as Yuta just needing help with something, like picking up the toothpaste tube he’s been dropping like clockwork every morning. So Jaehyun is caught off guard when he walks in on Yuta sitting in the tub, looking glum and a little out of breath, the loose pair of sweats he wore to bed now lying in a heap on the floor, and both of his hands clutching his phone close to his chest.

“You’re taking a bath?” Jaehyun asks the same time Yuta mutters a quiet “I think I’m in labour.” before the omega incredulously adds, “why the fuck would I be taking a bath with my phone first thing in the morning?”

It takes Jaehyun exactly five seconds to process Yuta’s words, and when it does finally sink in, he finds himself scrambling towards the omega, helping him out of the tub carefully and leading him out the bathroom to sit on the edge of the bed.

Jaehyun rummages through the drawers and throws Yuta a clean pair of sweats and a hoodie, the omega sits very still, mostly calm if not a tiny bit worried at how frazzled Jaehyun looks.

“All the symptoms are how it is in the checklist, it’s amazing” Yuta says, waving his phone in Jaehyun’s direction. The alpha doesn’t need to see the screen to know that it’s the checklist he prepared for Yuta as a safety precaution. He wanted to make sure the older man is able to tell when he’s in actual labour and that he’s not mistaking stomach pains with contractions, “but shouldn’t we have another week left?” Yuta continues in a softer voice, sounding worried.

Jaehyun feels a sudden surge of protectiveness at that, so he takes a minute break from panicking to sit beside Yuta, wrapping a reassuring arm around the shorter man’s shoulders,“It’s okay, it happens like that sometimes. How are you feeling?”

“Okay, the contractions aren’t that bad, but they’re very uncomfortable.” Yuta gives him a gentle nudge to the direction of the closet, and Jaehyun takes the hint and leaves the other to dress up. After pulling on the hoodie and squeezing into the sweats, Yuta climbs over the pillows on the bed and makes himself comfortable against the padded headboard while watching Jaehyun pull out the duffel bag with all his and the baby’s stuff for the hospital from inside the closet.

Jaehyun himself gets ready, practically running to the bathroom with his change of clothes. There’s not much he can do with his general appearance and fatigued eyes but he does try to make himself look less like a junkie and more like a sleep-deprived student hours away from being a father. When he gets out of the bathroom, Yuta’s already left his spot on the bed, he later finds him in front of the kitchen counter, digging into the pancakes that’s already gone cold.

“Hyung, really?” Jaehyun grumbles, leaving the other to enjoy his breakfast while he gets their boots and coats ready.

“What? I’m starving. It’s almost lunch time.”

“Finish quick, I’ll have to call a taxi and then my parents and then yours,” the alpha says in a rush, taking out his and Yuta’s boots from the closet and setting them by the door, before he makes a beeline for their bags.

“Aren’t you having breakfast?” Yuta asks timidly, watching the alpha run around the apartment in barely contained panic. He takes a big gulp of his smoothie while waiting for Jaehyun to turn his attention back to him.

“I don’t feel like it anymore. I can grab a sandwich at some place near the hospital later.” Jaehyun does turn his attention back to Yuta, but only to pull a hat over the older’s bed hair. Yuta sees his favourite scarf hanging over Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“Then can you please pack this to go?” Yuta gives the alpha his best impression of a kicked puppy, while pushing Jaehyun’s untouched plate of pancakes forward, “I really am very hungry.” he adds for good measure.

Yuta pretends not to see Jaehyun rolling his eyes before the latter grabs a reusable container from the cupboards, transferring the stack of pancakes into the container with practiced ease (the few perks of working in a cafe). “Happy now? Come on, I’m gonna call a taxi now.” Jaehyun packs the container into Yuta’s duffel bag in front of the omega, knowing full well that he’s not gonna stop nagging unless he’s absolutely sure they didn’t leave his food behind, before helping Yuta off the stool.

The taxi arrives just minutes later, and they almost get screamed at twice by the driver because they’re slow and Jaehyun has half a mind not to scream back that his best friend (partner?) is in labour and can’t do much but waddle out of the building’s unnecessarily long hallways. He opts to grumble under his breath about rude Korean drivers, and Yuta is quick to remind him that he’s Korean too. There’s light snow on the ground when they do exit the building, and Jaehyun wraps an arm around Yuta’s waist to keep the other steady in case he steps on any icy patch, while making their way into the taxi.

The drive to the hospital feels like eternity. He hears Yuta’s tiny grunts beside him, he’s obviously in pain but Jaehyun knows better than to point the obvious out; Yuta has never liked when people fuss over him, being the self-sufficient omega with a high tolerance for pain that he is. So instead, Jaehyun grabs Yuta’s gloved hand resting over his pregnant belly with his bare one, pulling the omega’s hand to rest on his thigh instead; he hopes it’s enough distraction (and comfort) to get them through the entire ten minute (fifteen with the current traffic) drive to the hospital.

They end up going with a public hospital, despite Jaehyun’s parents’ protests, insisting that they can take care of the costs of a private hospital but when Yuta makes up his mind, there’s very little that can sway him. The omega repeats over and over that he’s definitely taking advantage of NHI benefits, considering the amount of money he pays them monthly and that there’s no way they’ll need specialised medical attention anyway.

—

And of course, Yuta ends up being right, because it takes them roughly only an hour from the time they reached the hospital, up to the moment the doctor grabs Jaehyun’s hand in an awkward handshake, words of congratulations lost in the alpha’s realisation that births aren’t as complicated as the internet made it seem to be. It could also just be because Yuta’s the most uncomplicated person ever that he makes even giving birth seem so simple.

Yuta, also, sleeps through the entire post-delivery bliss (so he doesn’t get to gloat to Jaehyun about being right) only managing to take one dazed look at their baby before dozing off. Not even Moonjae, still a little bloody in a few places and all wrinkly, squirming and crying on his chest, his little head tucked under Yuta’s chin, could stir him out of his slumber.

It’s alright though, Jaehyun is led back to the delivery room (after he was silently escorted out the fourth time he dry heaved from sheer nerves and the sight of blood) in time to witness the scene, and he takes his time taking in every detail, burning the image into his memory so he can give Yuta an accurate retelling. The omega is completely knocked out but his eyes are still half open, and he looks exactly the same as he always does on mornings where he sleeps in but this time he’s covered by a sheen of sweat, his breath coming a little laboured, and there’s a _newborn baby_ on his chest.

The nurses carefully lifts the baby off Yuta, cord still attached and all, and hands the little thing to Jaehyun, who scrambles to secure his son in his arms, and it proves to be a struggle with the cream cheese like glop coating the baby's skin. He feels the beginnings of tears blurring his vision, his throat constricts in an effort to hold them back. The feeling is nothing like he’s ever experienced before, it’s infinitely better than the time he got straight A’s on all his maths, and that’s the most accomplished he’s felt that he remembers.

Moonjae is eventually taken away to get cleaned up and get his first shot, and the next time Jaehyun sees him, he’s being wheeled into their room, where Yuta is now resting, in a tiny cot, swaddled up in a blue blanket. He’s cleaner this time, but he’s still a little bluish red in colour and his eyes are a little puffy still so it’s hard to tell who he takes after, however, the fine wisp of hair covering most of his head makes Jaehyun smile. Another thing Yuta’s right about.

Their friends arrive before he gets a call back from their parents, just a few hours after they get settled in the room. They all look like the absolute mess that they should be after a long night drinking and fighting among each other, not too different from the state Jaehyun woke up in, except Johnny and Doyoung hadn’t even bothered to change out of their sleep clothes. Ten, who looks presentable enough (he threw on a pair of glasses as if that would excuse the terrible bed hair), but still very hungover judging by the sluggishness, arrives with Taeyong, who looks the most normal out the bunch (he stopped at one can the night before), and the only one level headed enough to bring a basket of fruits for Yuta, despite being the latter’s self-proclaimed mortal enemy.

They had been worried, according to Doyoung at least, because everyone doesn’t anticipate the baby for another week, _‘was the party too wild for Yuta? Did we accidentally induce an early labour?’ _Ten moans, putting a hand over his chest for maximum effect, and Jaehyun honestly thinks that might’ve been the case, when they crowd around the cot like hungry hyenas.

He’s also a little peeved that their friends get to see Moonjae first before Yuta does (because knowing Yuta, he probably won’t remember seeing the baby before he passed out). Jaehyun can also bet that their room is now officially the noisiest and most chaotic in the entire wing when Johnny lets out a high pitched coo that seems to get Moonjae’s attention, with the rest following suit.

There’s not enough chairs in the room so half of their big group ends up standing. So when Yuta finally comes to half an hour later, Jaehyun’s not surprised that the first thing the other does is let out a string of expletives, followed by an annoyed _‘holy shit, I thought I was dead and was being escorted to hell or something’_, probably referring to their general appearance and the way they surround his bed like reapers, and to which Taeyong scathingly replies_ ‘You’re safe Yuta, hell will spit you back up even if you were the last soul on earth’._

Jaehyun discreetly moves closer to Yuta, sitting on the bed while being careful with the IV attached to his hand. Their friends carefully wheels the cot near Yuta’s bed after the omega grumbles over everyone seeing his baby before him (as Jaehyun had expected) for the fifteenth time in a span of five minutes, after getting over his initial shock.

“Does he have Jaehyun’s dimples?” Yuta gruffly asks, and makes a move to sit up; Jaehyun helps him scoot up the bed, and stacks the extra pillows behind him for support.

“I don’t see them. Maybe he’s still too young for them to show. Maybe he doesn’t have them.” Ten says, bespectacled eyes silently observing the yawning infant. Beside him, Johnny pretty much melts at the sight, “he looks perfect though.” The tall alpha adds, smitten.

“He definitely didn’t get your big mouth Yuta, his is so tiny.” Taeyong comments, his normally sharp features mellowing at Moonjae’s little scrunched up nose but he quickly backs up and pushes Johnny forward when he sees Yuta stretch out his arms in a silent request to have his son.

Johnny looks panicked, but Jaehyun gives him a gentle nod despite his heart almost beating out of his chest at the thought of another alpha touching his new son, a natural instinct he’s learned to control, especially with Yuta’s habit of clinging to anyone conveniently close by. The tall alpha, who looked like he was ready to give the entire world to Moonjae just seconds ago, now visibly cowers at the thought of actually holding him. Jaehyun knows he has baby cousins back in the US and that he’s handled enough babies at work to know the basics of lifting one so he doesn’t step in; that and there’s no way he’s going to pass up the chance to see Johnny have a mini breakdown at having to carry a tiny, one-week early baby.

“Quick Johns, he’s gonna be fifteen before I get to hold him.” Yuta nags unhelpfully with a hint of a smile on his tired face. Doyoung reluctantly steps in when Johnny shoots him a pleading look, knowing that he can count on the beta to know these things (he is a nurse after all), and also because Doyoung has the kindest heart amongst his ill-chosen friends. The slightly shorter man guides Johnny’s big hand under the baby’s head — the little thing opens his mouth like he’s about to scold the alpha for interrupting his almost nap — and the other under the baby’s body. Johnny’s outstretched hand is nearly the length of Moonjae’s entire body, so there’s no way he’ll drop the baby, but with the way Jaehyun watches his every move, Johnny takes extra care anyway.

Once Moonjae has been safely deposited in Yuta’s arms, the omega’s entire demeanour changes, his parental instinct does a complete takeover. He cradles his baby close and presses a gentle kiss on his smooth forehead, relishing the warmth emanating from the very small body and the distinct baby smell. Jaehyun watches the exchange in silence, and lays a tentative hand over where he assumes Yuta’s knee is, under the thick hospital blanket.

“Oh look at him, he’s perfect. He has your eyebrows, Jae” Yuta mumbles intimately, and it’s the softest everyone in the room has ever seen him be so they’re left speechless except for Ten who adjusts his glasses on his nose and calmly says _‘is Yuta still high? How much fucking epidural was he given?’_

The baby probably picks up on the familiar scent of his birth parent, and his eyes flutter open for a split second before closing back into little slits. Jaehyun exhales quietly (he didn’t realise he’s been holding his breath), and takes a quick glance at the wall clock.

“I think it’s time for him to feed, the nurse should be here soon.”

True enough, the nurse comes in minutes later with the bottle Jaehyun personally picked from their last shopping trip, now filled with warm formula. The nurse does a double take at the number of people currently crowding the room and gently reminds them to make sure they’ve properly sanitised their hands before touching the baby; she gets a collective nod in response and Jaehyun has to internally applaud them for behaving properly for the first time since they arrived.

Now that Yuta’s awake, the nurse shows him how to properly hold the baby for feeding, and Jaehyun scoots closer to the omega, listening in closely despite having heard the exact same information just an hour ago, in case he missed something the first time. The rest of the guys watch them in silence, pretending to be oblivious to Jaehyun’s arm that’s currently wrapped around Yuta’s shoulders. In turn, Jaehyun pretends not to see it when Doyoung elbows a snickering Ten beside him.

When the nurse leaves the room, and Moonjae is fast asleep, belly full and all cozy in his cot, Yuta nudges his best friend slash co-parent to the cutest baby boy, with a knowing smile, “You didn’t eat my pancake, did you?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're moving along now finally. I think this should be the angstiest I can manage for this fic, so don't expect more lol
> 
> I'll be introducing a new(?) character next chapter, if all things go according to plan. Anyone wanna take a guess?
> 
> also, for anyone imagining how Moonjae would look like, I wanna let you all know that this fic was inspired by this baby picture of Jaehyun: http://pm1.narvii.com/7034/3e2cd460a548a19148d4a08d0fc330d6fae72279r1-714-714v2_uhq.jpg

** _Adjustments_ **

The first few days after they take Moonjae home are absolute bliss. Jaehyun takes over feeding at night, letting Yuta have as much rest as possible while he recovers. Jaehyun is used to doing all nighters, being the straight-laced student that he is, so he doesn’t struggle following the complicated feeding schedule of a newborn.

Unlike Yuta, who’s a complete natural, who knows exactly when Moonjae’s cries mean he’s hungry or when they mean he needs a change of nappies, Jaehyun has to learn as he goes. The first day he’s left alone with the baby, he spends a good half an hour trying to figure out how to clip cloth nappies together (they both agreed that reusable nappies are more economical and generally better for Moonjae than disposable ones). He also printed out a feeding guide that he taped to the back of the nursery door, just a little precaution to make sure he doesn’t accidentally put too much formula powder in Moonjae’s bottle.

The learning experience, however, is wonderful, the sense of fulfilment that overcomes Jaehyun every time he tucks the sleeping baby back in his bassinet after half a bottle of warm formula is incomparable, even if that means he gets just a total of three hours of sleep every night.

The bliss of course, doesn’t last pass the second week, when the toll of sleeplessness and general fatigue finally gets to Jaehyun. Taeil gave him an entire month off to care for his new baby, but it’s not possible for him to take leave from school, let alone a month long one; so despite having little sleep, he goes to class on mornings while Yuta takes over, comes back home in the afternoon to take an hour or two of nap, then gets up to make dinner and comes back down for another short snooze. Yuta wakes him when the omega has to go to bed himself, making sure Jaehyun is fully awake to care for Moonjae before he leaves him in the younger man’s hands.

Moonjae is not a fussy baby, it could be because he’s still very young, but he hardly cries, and spends most of his waking hours just staring at the little dangly, glow in the dark stars they glued on the ceiling of the nursery. It doesn’t take much to care for him, if you take away the fact that his sleeping schedule is still pretty messed up and he’s awake more at night than any other time of the day. But it doesn’t take away the fact that they have to make a lot of adjustments for the newest addition to their household, like using the armchair in the nursery room as a makeshift bed (they already have pillows and a blanket ready on it) on nights that Jaehyun can’t even be bothered to drag himself back to their bedroom.

Needless to say, other than lack of sleep, Jaehyun is now also officially suffering from a bad back at the very young age of twenty two, after only two weeks of child rearing.

His parents have offered hiring a nanny for the time being, at least until he graduates, seemingly aware of his struggles despite him never breathing a word to them of it. Perhaps the bags under his eyes were more obvious than he thought. He, of course, declined in a heartbeat, intent on being the hands-on dad he never got to have as a child, having practically been raised by a nanny while his busy parents were off overseas for business.

Yuta seems to notice as well, judging from how he’s taken over making dinner in the evenings so Jaehyun can have a full rest before he has to take over Moonjae’s night shift, even if this means they sometimes have to have over seasoned and burnt food (or take aways, on really bad days).

The last straw comes in the form of a barely passing mark in one of his major exams, one he didn’t have the chance to prepare for, being too pre-occupied with his new son. He hasn’t received a mark this bad ever since primary school, when he was still adjusting to school in Korea after having lived in America for a few years.

Yuta takes one look at his crestfallen expression and mussed hair, and his glasses that have long been tossed over the pile of textbooks he hasn’t touched in two weeks, and takes a seat beside the alpha on the couch, “Jae, you know you don’t have to keep up with Moonjae’s night feedings right? I can do that myself.”

“You’re taking care of him the entire day, you should have the night to rest.” Jaehyun grumbles, aware of how tired he must sound, but he really can’t be bothered to mask his frustration anymore.

“But I’m home all day, I don’t go to school and I don’t have to go back to work in a few more months. I can handle it.” The alpha groans in his hands, where he’s buried his face. Yuta has hardly recovered; he likes to pretend he’s in top condition but he doesn’t know that Jaehyun hears his quiet grunts whenever he accidentally strains himself. In any other situation, he would definitely turn down the offer, insist that they’re in this together, but his grades are on the line, and the end of the semester is fast approaching.

“Are you sure about this?” The alpha asks, trying to avoid eye contact with the older man, somehow ashamed of how easily he’s been swayed to agree.

“Absolutely. I ordered some bibimbap for dinner, you can heat up yours when you’re done studying.” Yuta gives him a small, reassuring smile, followed by a one-armed hug that Jaehyun doesn’t get the chance to reciprocate, as the baby monitor buzzes alive with Moonjae’s quiet whimpers. Yuta leaves him to his notes and textbooks to hurry down the hall to the nursery.

He knows this new arrangement is meant to lessen his burdens, a typical Yuta thing to do, and while he knows that the omega is genuine in his desire to make things easier for Jaehyun, he still can’t help but feel like he’s setting himself up for more frustrations.

—

Moonjae is a week short of being two months old, and Yuta has now been caring for him on his own for more than half that time. Jaehyun, who’s been especially busy with school, may or may not have noticed the way Moonjae has started to fuss more in his arms, as compared to when he first arrived. He didn’t mind it the first few times, thinking it was just one of the many phases his baby’s going to go through, but the abrupt change in the baby’s behaviour the moment Yuta takes him from Jaehyun makes him realise that it’s more than just a phase.

Which explains Jaehyun's current predicament; he’s just gotten home, after an intensive study session with Sicheng and some other classmates he hardly talks to outside school-related things, and has been standing for a good five minutes outside the nursery door, where he can hear Yuta’s quiet humming. Most likely lulling the baby back to sleep.

He can come in, he knows Yuta’s aware of his presence, having heard the front door open earlier, but he somehow feels unwanted, and unnecessary. As if introducing his scent into the nursery after a while will do nothing but confuse the sleepy infant. He knows he’s being overdramatic over it, but he somehow feels he’s entitled to feel that way when he’s been doing his best to be there for the baby, despite his complicated schedule.

In the end, he turns on his heels and makes his way to their shared bedroom. He doesn’t bother to wash up, instead he pulls his sweater and jeans off and climbs under the covers in his undershirt and boxers. He can take a shower the next morning.

He keeps the night light on, out of habit, despite knowing that Yuta likely won’t be in back in bed until morning (that’s what they have the armchair in the nursery for).

Contrary to what he thought however, Yuta does come back in the room a few minutes later, probably to check on Jaehyun since he didn’t even bother to show his face before retiring in bed. Jaehyun has his back to the door, so he pretends to be asleep; finding it an easier option than having to explain his frequent foul mood recently.

The bed dips slightly, and the fingers that card through his hair nearly makes him jump, but Jaehyun manages to keep the illusion of sleep.

“Goodnight, Jaehyun.” Yuta says softly, the hand on Jaehyun’s head stilling for a second before it pulls away completely. The weight disappears from the bed and the moment Yuta closes the door behind him, a sense of emptiness overcomes the alpha.

He doesn’t fall asleep immediately, and ends up being late for class the following morning anyway. Jaehyun thinks he could’ve just spent those few sleepless hours looking after Moonjae instead.

—

Jaehyun can pretend he doesn’t see it, but he knows that Yuta’s been losing weight; his cheeks are more sunken, and his clothes, while always oversized, seem to hang more in a way that accentuates his sharp edges recently. But Jaehyun says nothing, he consented to this arrangement, so he’s not in the position to be upset. Even if it means his son is growing more distant to him, and that he sometimes gets too guilty he’s stopped having dinner at home, if only to save the omega the trouble of having to prepare food for him.

Just like all the previous nights before, Jaehyun comes back home exhausted, not just from his classes; he’s back to working afternoons at the cafe and has just finished his four-hour shift. That’s the only excuse he can come up with for his actions that evening.

He doesn’t hear Moonjae, nor does he hear any sort of pattering in the apartment, so he makes his way into the bedroom, figuring both Yuta and the baby are fast asleep in the nursery. And they are, but on their queen sized bed instead, side by side, with Moonjae only an arm’s length away from the edge of the bed.

Anger clouds his judgement, and the alpha doesn’t think much about it when he shakes Yuta awake with a strong grip on his alarmingly skinny arm, “Yuta, wake up!”.

The shorter man shoots up from the bed, still a little out of it but looking awake enough to remember that he’s supposed to have put the baby back in the bassinet, judging by the way he feels around the bed, with Jaehyun blocking his view ofMoonjae.

“Why are you sleeping with the baby? You didn’t even remove the pillows!” he exclaims, gesturing to the excessive amount of pillows on the bed. Yuta’s eyes widen just a fraction, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he eventually gets a word out.

“I-I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I was just changing him here-“ and true enough, a dirty nappy has been haphazardly discarded by the foot of the bed, baby wipes and rash cream carelessly thrown on the nightstand. The omega chances a glance at Jaehyun’s face and immediately flinches at the obvious exasperation he sees.

“That’s what we have the changing table in the nursery for. God, Yuta, you can’t be this careless! What if you rolled on him? Or a pillow fell on top of him?!” Jaehyun realises how loud he’s being when he hears the beginnings of a whimper, and he quickly gathers his son into his arms before he starts full out wailing. It doesn’t work, and Moonjae quickly turns red in the face from the force of his progressively louder crying, obviously upset from having his nap interrupted.

On the bed, Yuta watches them with an uncertain expression. He’s awfully quiet, and Jaehyun has known him long enough to know that he’s on the verge of tears, and pursing his lips is one of the many ways he holds them back. The long haired brunette hesitantly reaches out with his hands without making eye contact, a silent request to have Moonjae. The fact that he looks so guilty breaks Jaehyun’s heart, he shouldn’t have a right to be angry, knowing how little he contributes to caring for their newborn.

And while Jaehyun may still be a bit miffed at the carelessness that both of them can’t afford,he’s also calmed down enough to know that Moonjae is awfully attached to Yuta’s scent, recognising it from the moment he was born, more so now that the only alpha father he’s come to recognise has been anything but present recently. So Jaehyun reluctantly hands the crying baby to Yuta, who hasn’t moved an inch from where he’d been unceremoniously woken up in the middle of the bed.

“Shh, I got you baby,” The omega tucks his son under his chin as soon as he gets a secure hold on him, pressing his lips to the baby’s forehead. He rocks the baby in time with his gentle shushing, and Moonjae quiets down in a matter of seconds.

Jaehyun feels like an outsider intruding on a private moment, standing there not knowing what to do with his hands. Yuta will make these mistakes, will probably give Moonjae too much or too little formula, he will accidentally drop a lettuce from his salad on Moonjae’s face, but he knows what he’s doing, and reading a thousand internet articles can’t give Jaehyun that advantage.

So the younger man silently lets himself out of the room. By the time he’s made himself comfortable on their couch, with no intention of facing Yuta yet after his little outburst, he hears the footsteps heading towards him.

Yuta, always the confrontational type, sits himself beside Jaehyun with Moonjae cradled in his arms, wide awake but quiet as a mouse now. The baby still looks red in the face, his little eyes puffy. They’re Yuta’s eyes (the only thing he’s gotten from his omega parent, really), now that the baby’s grown more into his skin, his features are also becoming more apparent. It makes Jaehyun feel worse, knowing he’s made two pairs of identical eyes cry in one sitting.

“Jaehyun,” The older man starts, and Jaehyun keeps his eyes on Moonjae, “I was thinking, maybe I should bring Moonjae to see his grandparents in Japan before I have to go back to work.” This gets the alpha’s attention, and he perks up immediately, ready to protest the idea.

“Before you say anything, they’ve been asking to see him personally. It’s earlier than the original plan but I think he’s big enough for a short flight,” Yuta pauses, watching Jaehyun intently before he continues, “and I think, you could use some time for yourself.”

Jaehyun keeps his silence, despite the way his heart hammers against his chest at the thought of Yuta taking their son away. And he can’t stop him even if he wants to, they’re not romantically together, and Yuta has so far been doing well singlehandedly raising their kid with no help from him whatsoever. So Jaehyun runs a hand through his hair, resting his elbows on his knees in defeat.

He remembers being in the exact same place just a month ago, the same forlorn looks on their faces, but this time, it’s about facing the consequences of a hasty arrangement they made on this same couch.

“Have I…” The younger man quietly starts after what feels like hours of silence, keeping his gaze on the carpet, “Have I been such a bad parent? Am I really too young for this?”

He must’ve looked so pathetic at that moment, because Yuta grabs his shoulder with his free hand, and brings him close for a hug. Jaehyun can’t help his surprised little gasp as the omega tucks Jaehyun's face under his chin, like how he’d comfort Moonjae during his fits.

“No, no, it’s not that. You’re a wonderful father, you’re doing your best. You’re young, and unprepared, and we both are. But we’ll figure it out” Yuta consoles, and Jaehyun would like to believe him, except the older man’s prominent collarbone digging into his cheek says otherwise.

“You say that now, but look at you, you can’t tell me you’re not struggling, and I’m not doing anything to help that, am I?”

“Jae, Jaehyun, it doesn’t have to be just you. You don’t have to carry the weight for all three of us. You’re working, and studying, and I understand that, you know I do. I don’t need you to give up things that are important to you, especially if I can help it.”

“But Moonjae doesn’t, he doesn’t understand why I can’t be there for him like before. At this rate he’ll start recognising Johnny as his other parent, with the amount of time he spends here.” Yuta’s face falls, and Jaehyun has never seen anyone cry that fast before; tears start rolling in rivulets down the omega’s cheeks before he even gets the chance to finish.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you feel this way.” The omega quickly lets go of Jaehyun to wipe his face with his sleeve, “I didn’t know I’d been taking him away from you. I just wanted to help you.” He struggles to get his words out, and despite the tears, Jaehyun still can’t help but admire how easy it is for Yuta to express his emotions, unlike him.

“But that’s the thing, it isn’t your fault! It’s all mine! You shouldn’t be all exhausted from caring for Moonjae by yourself. I should be helping you! And it’s frustrating that I can’t do that without having to accept my parents’ help, or having to neglect school.” Jaehyun’s rant gradually reduces to a tired mutter.

“I think…” Yuta grabs one of Jaehyun’s hands that’s been fisting the material of his jeans, “I think we should start this over. This is trial and error, this parenting thing, we don’t have to get this right the first time, Okay?” Any other time, the younger man would’ve made fun of Yuta; here he is trying to be the mature one, doing his best to comfort Jaehyun even when he’s still pathetically sniffling, tears still streaming down his face. What a sight they must make.

“And here I thought we’ve got it down to a fine art.” He tries to joke, because really, if there’s anything they can both agree on at this moment, it’s that their weird sense of humour has been their only common point, and that it’s the one thing they will always fall back on when miscommunication and their general differences put them at odds with each other.

Yuta makes a face at him, letting him know this isn’t the best time to be cracking jokes but then he's smiling, and Jaehyun can’t help but laugh, because the other’s still crying and it’s simultaneously the ugliest and also the most endearing sight ever.

After Yuta finally stopped sobbing his heart out and the baby’s fallen back asleep, they move the bassinet in their bedroom, putting it near Jaehyun’s side of the bed. It’s a small start, but they both know it will go a long way.

—

Yuta wakes up disoriented, like most nights, he tries to remember what it was he’d been doing before he dozed off, he recollects putting the baby to sleep in his bassinet by the bed before going down for a quick nap himself. He glances at their digital clock on the nightstand and groans when he sees it’s past Moonjae’s next feeding time. How curious, that the baby didn’t cry for his milk like he always does.

Panic settles in the pit of his stomach, however, when he finds the bassinet empty. Yuta is too frazzled over the possibility that he’d misplaced his _living_, breathing baby boy somewhere in the house or worse, some human trafficker breaking in and running off with Moonjae while Yuta was sound asleep (no matter how unlikely that may sound), to notice the familiar alpha scent lingering in the room.

He runs out the bedroom, tripping over one of Moonjae’s soft toys in the hallway, one of the many things he’s supposed to put away had he not fallen asleep too. Yuta checks the nursery first, and seeing no Moonjae there, takes quick strides to the living room (while praying he hadn’t left the baby in the laundry room of all places; he vaguely remembers walking in there to grab a change of clothes for the newborn before his nap).

It’s only been a week since that episode with him carelessly sleeping with Moonjae on their bed, and he doesn’t need another reason for Jaehyun’s stress levels to sky rocket. Especially not when they’re still walking on eggshells around each other after their _little_ fight. While Jaehyun hasn’t shown any signs of lingering resentment over Yuta’s clumsy mistake, he also hasn’t been the same since then; well, he hasn't been the same since Yuta suggested he spend less time with Moonjae to focus on his studies, something Yuta hasn’t stopped beating himself over after realising how badly it affected the young alpha.

He breathes out a sigh of relief when he rounds the corner from the hallway.

Jaehyun is back from work; he’s already changed into his house clothes and a thick pair of glasses perched on top of his perfect nose. He’s sitting in complete silence on the carpeted floor, back against the couch, and completely immersed in whatever he’s doing on his laptop, that’s placed on the very edge of the coffee table; beside it are stacks of papers and textbooks (Yuta figures he's cramming yet again). The scene itself is not unusual; it’s one of Jaehyun’s many routines at night after he’s tended to all of Yuta complicated pregnancy needs in the months they lived together.

But what makes this time different is the small infant in the alpha's lap, with Moonjae's head cradled in Jaehyun's arms. It looks like Jaehyun has taken Moonjae out of his swaddle because the little hands are up and flailing. the same arm supporting the baby's head is bent in an uncomfortable angle trying to hold the bottle that Moonjae’s currently suckling on, while the alpha’s other hand is busy typing away on his laptop.

Judging by how little formula is left in the bottle, they’ve been here for a while. Yuta feels himself soften at the image, while he internally commends himself because thank fuck, he didn’t misplace his baby after all.

“Jae, you’re home.”

“Oh, you’re up. Are you hungry? I brought noodles, they’re on the counter, if you want them now.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up? I could’ve fed him.” He makes his way to the counter to grab the still warm box of stir fried noodles before making a beeline for the couch. He steps over Jaehyun and the baby, fixing the burping cloth on the alpha’s shoulder on his way.

“It’s alright, you looked beat. And you didn’t wake up when he started crying his lungs out anyway, so I figured you could use the rest.” Yuta nods, digging into the food with the cheap wooden chopsticks that came with the takeaway. Moonjae is awfully quiet, granted his little mouth is occupied at the moment, and Yuta sees how pleased Jaehyun is about it when he leans back against the couch to give Yuta a clear view of the well-behaving baby.

“I also think he’s getting used to me again. You should be careful, I’m coming for your position as his favourite parent.” Jaehyun flashes Yuta a smile oozing with playfulness, his dimpled cheeks accentuating his youth. Yuta hasn’t seen him this carefree in a while. Perhaps they are moving in the right direction after all.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, I’m sure you’re giving him more formula than he should have to get on his good side.” The omega jokes back, and it’s the lightest he’s felt since Moonjae was born. It could also be because he just took the longest nap in history.

“I don’t have to, look at this!” The younger man nods towards Moonjae’s little hand as it fisted Jaehyun’s shirt with the strongest grip an eight weeks old is capable of. Yuta laughs at that, and goes right back to wolfing down his dinner.

The silence persists for a few minutes and the omega is about to comment on the paper Jaehyun's supposed to be writing but hasn’t touched since Yuta got comfortable in the couch when the younger man quietly starts, “Hyung,” when Jaehyun is sure that he got Yuta’s attention, he continues in the same small voice, “are you still bringing Moonjae to see your parents in Osaka?” 

Yuta pauses at the reminder of his words from their fight. He did tell his parents he’s going to bring the baby home to meet them; Jaehyun’s parents already get their fair share of Moonjae time when they’re in Korea, never failing to visit them at least once a week, while his own family in Osaka has only seen the baby on FaceTime, a handful of times. But the plan had originally been for when Moonjae’s a little older.

Obviously, he said some things he didn’t really mean, and the dejected look on the younger man’s face is one of the many consequences of letting his emotions get the best of him. He puts the box of noodles down in his lap, and replies in the most casual tone he can muster, “Nah, I think Moonjae will be way cuter with a bit more meat on him anyway. I should fatten him up before his big Japan debut, no?”

The omega sees the moment relief washes over Jaehyun, the tenseness in his posture slowly abating, “You didn’t make any plans for summer break, did you?” 

“No, not at all.” Jaehyun says, and there’s a hint of a smile on his lips when he continues, “Osaka sounds like it’ll be nice in summer though.”

“Then I guess we’re set.”

** _I told you so_ **

Exams are over, his papers done well ahead of time, and Moonjae has warmed up enough to him that he doesn’t kick him in the face anymore whenever he’s changing him. Therefore, Jaehyun decides to prepare a small feast for them, kimbab rolls, kimchi stew and stir fried beef; all of Yuta’s favourites.

Behind the guise of celebration, of course, is Jaehyun’s attempt to make up for all those times he skipped dinner that Yuta painstakingly prepared. But Yuta doesn’t need to know about that.

The omega is in the bathroom, giving Moonjae a bath after a long day of sleeping, eating, pooping (a lot) and flailing about on his little playmat in the living room, on repeat.

Moonjae’s growing so fast, he can already lift his own head when Yuta puts him on his stomach, and he’s starting to grab stuff too, the latter Jaehyun doesn’t appreciate so much after finding Moonjae chewing and slobbering all over a carelessly discarded scarf (Yuta’s, of course). Thankfully, the baby can’t really roll on his own yet, so putting him on any soft surface while they get their chores done still works, but Jaehyun knows it won’t be long now before they have to start barricading his crawling space.

“Hyung, do you want pickled radish in your kimbab?” He practically bellows, letting his voice carry down the hallway to the master bathroom. These are the only times he can afford to be loud, because once Moonjae has been swaddled and placed in his bassinet, any sort of loud noise will definitely get him hit on the head by a miffed Yuta.

“Yeah, lots of it!” Yuta screams right back followed by a funny sound that could only be the brunette blowing raspberries against Moonjae’s belly.

He’s finishing the second roll of kimbab when Yuta screams for him again, and the scenario is so reminiscent of the time the omega went into labour that Jaehyun couldn’t help but drop everything he’s doing, and sprint to the bedroom as fast as his legs can carry him.

“What is it? What happened? Is there something wrong?” He finds them on the huge bed, with Moonjae still wrapped in his lady bug printed bath towel with only a nappy on, clean bodysuit neatly folded on the side. Yuta is sitting cross legged in front of the baby, his eyes wide with wonder.

“Come here quick!” The omega excitedly beckons him closer, and he crawls beside the older man on the bed to see what the fuss is about.

When Yuta’s sure that Jaehyun's watching his every move, he dives down to blow another raspberry against Moonjae’s naked tummy, and the little thing bursts into a gurgling laugh. At first, Jaehyun is too mesmerised by the melodious sound of his baby’s laughter to catch it, but when he does, he almost does a double take.

There, on Moonjae’s soft, pink cheeks, is a pair of darling little indents, still a little shallow but easily recognisable.

He turns towards Yuta, who has the biggest smile he’s ever seen on a person, he almost resembles a grinning fox “That’s a nice surprise, I guess.” And Jaehyun knows he’s downplaying it but there’s no doubt that Yuta is aware of how excited he is over this new development by the knowing look in his eyes.

“I told you he’d get them! Now he looks exactly like you. We might as well just rename him Jaehyun 2.0” Yuta says, but he’s radiating pride and affection.

“Still sounds better than Jaenoh.” Jaehyun gets a kick on his side at that, and when he recovers from his almost tumble down the bed, Yuta’s already dressing Moonjae in his bodysuit, leaving the younger man to clean up the mess of towels and vaseline on the bed.

He later finds Yuta in the kitchen, one hand cradling Moonjae against his hip, while the other hand holds an entire roll of kimbab as he practically pranced around the small kitchen space in absolute glee.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I've been super busy with work. But the last holiday video from NCT gave me the energy to finish this chapter before Christmas. I'm hoping I can put up another one shot before the holidays but that's really hopeful thinking on my end.
> 
> I did say there's gonna be a new character for this chapter didn't I? Well, he's not exactly new-new, but someone from their past. His presence however, will play a big role for YJ's relationship. :)

**Making progress**

Yuta goes back to work when Moonjae is twelve weeks old. The timing is convenient, spring brings rainy days but also warmer, generally more pleasant temperatures, and taking Moonjae out on walks isn’t as troublesome as when they had to bundle him up in layers of clothing under his snowsuit in winter. It also means both Jaehyun and Yuta can now run their errands outside with the baby strapped to their body at any time of the day without giving the little one bright red cheeks and equally red and runny nose.

So Yuta, always the clever one between them two (according to him only) decides that bringing Moonjae to work shouldn’t be as bad as it sounds, after they find out that they have to be on the wait list for at least a few months at the nearest daycare. The omega, of course, manages to talk his boss (Jongin is physically incapable of saying no to Yuta) into turning his and Taeyong’s shared office into a makeshift nursery, complete with a little cot and even a changing table, albeit cheap ones, courtesy of Jongin himself, also properly smitten with the infant.

Taeyong doesn’t miss a chance to express his exasperation at the inconvenience, voicing his struggles over lunch with their friends (while Yuta continues to pretend he doesn’t know Taeyong secretly coos at Moonjae whenever he thinks Yuta’s out of earshot) while Johnny whines about the unfair privileges Taeyong has, seeing Moonjae on a daily basis while his own visits are limited to only when Yuta's feeling up to dealing with Johnny's overenthusiastic love.

Yuta has also gone back to using the cafe as his personal cafeteria, but this time, with a miniature version of Jaehyun strapped to his chest in a carrier. Everyone (including the cafe regulars) fall head over heels in love with the baby the first time Yuta takes him there, still only just capable of kicking his little feet and making unintelligible sounds but already stealing hearts everywhere.

Jaehyun blames it on the little ponytail Yuta insists on putting at the very top of Moonjae’s head, he personally thinks there are few things cuter than a baby with a pineapple head.

The young alpha is pouring ice blended coffee into a plastic takeaway cup when Lucas nearly spooks him into spilling it all over the counter.

“Look who's here to see his papa!” The younger alpha announces, in his characteristically loud voice, proudly brandishing a flailing Moonjae in an awkward hold, obviously not used to carrying babies. Figures that Lucas will go around stealing babies on his break. The older alpha chances a glance at Yuta to make sure Lucas has actually gotten consent this time, and finds him talking animatedly to Ten, Taeyong and Johnny, most likely retelling the same story of how Moonjae tried to grab a tomato right from his salad bowl for the fiftieth time. Johnny’s the only one who seems to be paying attention.

Jaehyun is about to scold the taller boy about sneaking up behind him and holding _his_ son wrong when little Moonjae finally realises who’s in front of him and starts reaching out with his tiny hands in Jaehyun’s direction. Jaehyun predictably, forgets everything he has to say in favour of smiling his biggest, brightest smile, dimples and all, at his baby son.

When he’s not immediately handed to his father, Moonjae lets out a screeching sound that startles Lucas into dumping the baby in Jaehyun’s now outstretched arms. His break is in a few minutes anyway, and there’s no way he’s not taking advantage of the few instances of Moonjae wanting to be held by his alpha dad.

Lucas looks bummed out at the betrayal, “Really Moonjae? Not even a second to spare for me? After I saved you from Johnny too,” the younger one mumbles, but takes over the iced coffee anyway, finishing up by popping a lid over it.

Jaehyun peppers the top of Moonjae’s head with kisses, revelling in the distinct baby scent that’s now completely taken over their apartment. Even his own clothes now smell like baby, and he absolutely loves it. He makes his way to his group of friends who are huddled in their favourite corner of the cafe.

“Please tell me you noticed Lucas snatching Moonjae away this time.” Jaehyun starts, taking a seat beside Yuta. The omega’s eyes light up at the sight of Moonjae chewing on his fist, half his face covered in drool.

“Aw Tsuki-chan! You’re back so soon?” Yuta ignores his question, in favour of cooing at their mess of a son. Moonjae starts reaching out for Yuta in a heartbeat, and Jaehyun's face falls, now understanding how Lucas felt earlier.

“I thought we were having a good time” the alpha says in defeat, not even bothering to hide the fact that he’s sulking.

“It’s amazing how there’s none of you in him, it’s almost like Jae cloned himself.” Ten starts, quietly observing the other omega as he cleaned Moonjae’s face.

“Who would’ve thought that Yuta here is capable of producing a cute kid. Then again, it’s all Jaehyun’s genes right there at work.” Taeyong adds unhelpfully, sipping on his double chocolate frappe, and Jaehyun knows from experience how terribly sweet that beverage is, but Taeyong seems unbothered.

“He has Yuta’s eyes” Johnny supplies, one hand in the air, and with the way everyone's talking over each other, for very good reason too. Jaehyun agrees, Moonjae has incredibly round eyes that could only be Yuta’s.

“Yeah, but like, who would notice that? He has Jae’s fair skin, and his entire face. Who'd look at him and say oh you got your omega dad's eyes” Taeyong continues, and Yuta makes a face at him, in between nuzzling his baby’s head and taking big bites of his sandwich. Otherwise, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by the direction of the conversation.

“He has Jae’s temperaments too, judging by how picky he is with people.” the omega shrugs, adjusting the baby on his lap so he’s facing the rest of the group, “go on Moonjae, give them your biggest smile, show them those adorable dimples they can only wish they have!”

Johnny takes that as a cue to start making funny faces, and Moonjae breaks into an adorable giggle that gets the attention of at least half the cafe, who all melt in a puddle of goo. Doyoung has to physically stop people from taking pictures of the baby. Yuta isn’t really helping matters when he holds out the baby like freaking Simba.

“I swear to god hyung, you’re more trouble than you’re worth.” Doyoung groans, and quickly amends his words when Moonjae turns to him with crescent eyes, his gummy smile still in place and glorious dimples on display, “not you though, you’re worth the entire universe baby Moon.”

“He has everyone wrapped around his baby finger.” Jaehyun observes in awe.

Ten quickly gets everyone’s attention by clearing his throat, a sign that he means business, which is most of the time, so the group takes it as their cue to stop fussing over the flailing baby in Yuta’s lap. The way Johnny stopped making funny faces at Moonjae at a drop of a hat means he has an idea what this impromptu meeting is about.

“So, this coming Saturday,” Ten starts, looking around the table. His gaze lingers on Yuta a little longer than the others, “there’s gonna be a party at John’s place. An early birthday celebration for Yong here.” Jaehyun sees Taeyong’s eyes widen a fraction, already opening his mouth for what could only be protests when Yuta beats him to it,

“But his birthday is in summer? Is he going anywhere? Am I finally getting the office to myself for once?”

“_My_ office Yuta, I don't remember giving you permission to squat there in the first place” The alpha in question grumbles, “and I’ve never heard of this arrang-“

“Aaaand…maybe a mini welcoming party...for Hansol hyung. He’s back in town.” Ten lets the rest of the words out in a single breath, properly ignoring the bickering duo in front of him. At this point, everyone except Jaehyun (he’d rather stare at a coffee stain on the table that vaguely resembles a cat and pretend he didn't just hear what he heard) has their attention on Yuta, watching the moment Ten’s words sink in. Yuta’s always been the easiest to read, and surprise, confusion and understanding (in that sequence) flash on his face in a span of a second.

“We don’t want to force you though, I mean, I know you’re busy with Moonie here and your split wasn’t exactly pleasant, and he never kept in touch-“ Johnny tends to run his mouth when he’s nervous, and Jaehyun now knows for sure that both Johnny and Ten are in this together, probably planned this with Hansol in the first place. Jaehyun suddenly remembers that those two have been the closest to Hansol, aside from Yuta, and had most likely kept in contact with him even after the ugly way things turned out between the exes.

He wonders how long Hansol’s been back in town, because watching the two in front of him now makes him think they barely had time to prepare this mess of a speech.

_‘Taeyong’s birthday my ass’_ Jaehyun sighs, but not loud enough to catch anyone’s attention except for Moonjae’s, who’s been sitting quietly in Yuta’s lap like the good baby he is, fist in his mouth and eyes trained on his alpha father. The baby can probably sense Jaehyun’s uneasiness, he’s not entirely sure how it works but Moonjae can somehow tell when one or both of his parents are on edge.

Yuta surprises all of them when he cuts off Johnny’s rambling, “Sure, I haven’t seen him in like forever.” A moment of silence passes, broken only by Taeyong choking on a croissant and Doyoung’s hardly discreet gasp. If anyone notices Jaehyun’s shock (complete with the bulging eyes and gaping mouth), they have the decency not to call him out on it.

“Yuta! It’s fine, you don’t have to force yourself, we totally understand if you can’t go“ Ten jumps in, looking like he’s about to have a breakdown, as if Yuta saying yes wasn’t even on the table.

“You make it sound like you don’t want me to go. Is that it? Will it be awkward with me there?” The omega asks in a playful manner, but Jaehyun doesn’t miss the tension in the air, and knows Yuta’s can’t be all good with this.

“Of course not, we just don’t want you to feel like you have to do this if you’re not ready.” The tall alpha gathers Yuta (and by default, Moonjae) in a one armed hug, while Jaehyun keeps his silence, his gaze still fixed on the same coffee stain. Various scenarios play in his mind, from Yuta and Hansol reconciling over a few bottles of beer (and that shouldn’t be a bad thing, really, Yuta spent so long being in love with Hansol) to them rekindling old flames after realising they can’t be without each other. The latter leaves a bitter taste in the alpha’s mouth, cold settling in the pit of his stomach.

He knows why, but he absolutely won’t say a word about it. In the end, Yuta doesn’t need Jaehyun to make decisions for him, and Jaehyun will take what he can get. Just like how he’s done the past four years.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m good. We’ll be there on Saturday.” Yuta says, leaning into Johnny, revealing in the comfortable and familiar scent he’s come to recognise as family. Jaehyun resists the urge to take one of the omega’s hands under the table, too scared to be turned away.

(despite knowing Yuta will never reject his affections, but sometimes a half-hearted reciprocation is worse than rejection).

—

“Jae, come try this!” Yuta calls jaehyun from the kitchen, and the said alpha groans aloud. He’s only just gotten comfortable on the bed after rearranging all of Yuta’s pillow in a stack behind him, and was two words into the essay that's due the next Wednesday.

He patters into the kitchen anyway, it’s not like there’s any chance of ignoring Yuta without repercussions.

“What is it?” Jaehyun finds the older man standing in front of steaming hot takoyaki, arranged in a neat row on one of their nicer plates. He’s about ready to claim that the Japanese man has somehow found a takoyaki place nearby over how perfectly photogenic and neat the dish looks (and Yuta’s proven there’s no limit to how much mess one person can make), but then he sees the smudge of sauce on the other’s apron, half hidden by the drooling baby he has against his hip.

Moonjae is staring at the takoyaki with stars in his eyes, while he chews away on one of his pudgy fingers. Jaehyun can’t blame him, the smell of it is divine, and the excessive amount of mayonnaise drizzled on top is most definitely an overkill but that’s just how Jaehyun likes them.

“Okay, how many times did you need to change plates to get it this clean?” Yuta pretends like he doesn’t know what Jaehyun is talking about, but the younger man sees him shift to the left, trying to hide a few dirty plates on the counter from view. The younger man makes a mental note to run the dishwasher later.

“Just try it! My mother sent me the machine to make it last week. I’ve been wanting to try it since.” Jaehyun nods, before plucking a perfectly round piece and putting the entire thing in his mouth in one go. The octopus is chewy, as he expects it to be, the batter is just the right softness, definitely not overcooked. Who would’ve thought that there’s one thing Yuta can make that doesn’t turn into disaster.

He gives the omega a thumbs up, mouth still too full to verbalise his astonishment. Moonjae looks up at him with that pleading look, one he’s been using a lot lately at the sight of food. Both of them know it’s about time for the little one to start on solid food, but Jaehyun’s not looking forward to whatever awaits him during nappy changes once they introduce purees to Moonjae’s diet.

Yuta sees the pitiful look on the baby’s face, and having absolutely zero tolerance for a sad Moonjae, he dips his pinky in the sauce and lets the baby grab his hand to start suckling on the finger.

“You really shouldn’t be doing that.” Jaehyun comments once he’s swallowed his food, one hand already making a grab for a second piece, “Anyway, what brought this on? Did you accidentally shrink one of my favourite shirts in the dryer again?”

Yuta pouts at the suggestion, despite being a hundred percent guilty of doing exactly that just a week ago.

“I just…thought we could have something different today.” Jaehyun eyes the omega suspiciously. Yuta doesn’t just go around making takoyaki when he thinks he needs to spruce up their meals, no, he’ll simply call uber eats and get them some salty noodles under twenty thousand won.

The Japanese man wilts under Jaehyun’s judgemental gaze and finally sighs in defeat, “Okay, I guess this is some sort of peace offering?”

Jaehyun doesn’t need to hear it to know what the other’s referring to, but he does nod in acknowledgement, if only to reassure the older man.

“I shouldn’t have agreed about Saturday without asking you first. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology, and you don’t need my permission to make these decisions.” Jaehyun says, avoiding eye contact. While hearing Yuta apologise has somehow eased some of his worries, he really doesn’t have a say in anything Yuta does. He can hook up with his ex and Jaehyun won’t be in the position to be upset. He just doesn’t have that right, and he knew that from the moment he started sleeping with the omega.

“But I do. And I’d been insensitive. It’s not just you and me anymore, we’ve got little Tsuki-chan here now, and I should’ve thought of that first.” Yuta mumbles the last bit of that, while simultaneously adjusting the baby on his hip, “so, are you comfortable to go? If you say no I’m calling Johns to tell him we’re cancelling for Saturday.”

The sincerity in Yuta’s words, and the way his brows furrowed in worry is so incredibly endearing that Jaehyun can’t help but reach out and ruffle the other’s already messy hair, pulling the slighter man closer to bury his face in the juncture of the omega’s neck.

“I’m okay hyung. It’s you I’m more worried about. Are you really okay meeting Hansol hyung after everything?” He’s lying of course; if he can have it his way, Yuta will be kept locked in their room until Hansol is already on the plane back to America. Instead, he takes a whiff of the other’s unique scent, pretending just for a moment that it's his to take, only his.

If Yuta is uncomfortable with the sudden display of affection, he doesn’t show it, and remains still as Jaehyun engulfs him with his bigger physique.

Moonjae squeals against his stomach, obliviously delighted being sandwich between his parents, completely surrounded by their scents. Jaehyun reaches down to take the baby from Yuta, breaking away just a little bit so he can heave the infant up and against his chest, where he starts drooling against the alpha’s t-shirt.

“I’m really alright. It’s been years and we’ve both moved on.” The brunette sighs; it’s obvious he’s not entirely convinced with his own logic. Yuta leans against Jaehyun, resting his head on the taller man’s shoulder, beside their baby. The alpha feels his heart flutter, a rare occurrence, but a welcome one.

They stay in that position until Moonjae inevitably grabs a chunk of Yuta’s long hair and pulls hard enough to get the omega to start cursing in Japanese, (_‘Hey, language’ _Jaehyun chides gently, but helps pry the little fingers out of the long locks anyway).

Eventually, they all move to the couch where Jaehyun puts on Disney Junior, before carefully tucking the baby in his swing. Yuta brings their food to the coffee table, along with two diet cans of coke. It somehow reminds Jaehyun of their university days, when eating on the couch is a luxury with how many people are occupying one dorm room and crowding the living area at one time.

“Wait, what are we gonna do about Moonjae on Saturday? My parents are out of town.” The thought occurs to Jaehyun when he’s halfway through his food.

“We’re taking him. I already mentioned it to Ten and Johnny so they’ll be making the necessary arrangements. Johns is more excited than inconvenienced, honestly.”

Jaehyun’s eyes widen at this new bit of information. Here he was thinking Yuta had been ready to set them aside to make way for a dramatic reunion with his ex. Now he feels kinda stupid. and a tad bit overdramatic.

“Oh.”

“Yes oh, of course I’m not leaving him to some babysitter. Look at this cutie, he’ll definitely charm any babysitter into taking off with him!” Moonjae doesn’t reward Yuta with a single reaction, deigning him with a second of his attention before his huge eyes move back to where Micky Mouse Club House is playing. They learn early, Jaehyun thinks with a small smile.

“See? He's becoming more and more like you, did you see how he ignored me?” Yuta sighs wistfully, still incredibly fond anyway.

**All in the past**

They arrive at Johnny’s at exactly fifteen past seven. A sleepy Moonjae is strapped to Jaehyun’s chest, suckling on a pacifier that’s secured by a strap around his neck. Yuta carries two diaper bags on both shoulders, and his own backpack, filled with the rest of the baby’s stuff that won’t fit in the two bags. As single men, they’re accustomed to packing light and taking just the basic essentials even on long trips, but with Moonjae, a few hours outside already necessitates a whole bag filled with his baby supplies.

Johnny opens the door for them, party headband sitting on top of his head, and Doyoung is right behind him with a bag of balloons and an electric pump in his hands. They hear Ten screaming for help because '_the japchae is burning!!'_ from the kitchen. 

“The most special guest has arrived! Oh look at this adorable little thing!” The taller alpha exclaims, none too softly, while he helps Jaehyun untangle the baby from his carrier. Meanwhile, Doyoung makes a run for the kitchen.

“I’ll be careful if I were you, he’s one gummy smile away from kidnapping your son.” Doyoung says from the kitchen where he's teaching Ten how to operate the freaking induction cooktop. Johnny helps Yuta settle all the bags on the sideboard with his free hand while the pair toe off their sneakers.

The tall alpha gasps at the accusation when he's done helping the pair, and cradles the baby close to his chest, “I would do no such thing! He’s just way too cute sometimes.” The alpha proves his point by tickling the baby under his chin, to which Moonjae responds by suckling harder at his pacifier, the image giving Johnny a mini breakdown. Jaehyun laughs under his breath, making his way into the living area.

Parties have been completely out of the question since Moonjae’s arrival, there’s just no way they can spend the entire evening out when the baby’s supposed to be in bed at seven sharp. They hardly have any time for themselves, in the last four months, that it’s no wonder Jaehyun feels a little nostalgic being in Johnny’s spacious living area, the unofficial venue for their get togethers for years. It’s a mystery how Johnny hasn’t been kicked out of the building yet, with the amount of times they got the police knocking on the door at three in the morning.

Johnny offered to accommodate them overnight in his spare room, setting up an air mattress where they can barricade Moonjae with pillows, like a makeshift crib, while him and Yuta squeeze in the double bed. The arrangement isn’t the best, Moonjae is used to being lulled to sleep by his blue nightlight and the humming of his humidifier, he also still wakes up a few times in the night for milk, and this has become easier with the mini fridge they put in the nursery. All of these things, however, are missing in Johnny’s spare room, so Jaehyun supposes, just for tonight, they’ll have to miss a few more hours of sleep than normal.

“Go get him settled in the room Jae, his eyes are drooping. I’ll follow in a bit.” Yuta taps him on the shoulder with the still warm bottle of formula he prepared before they left home. The younger man takes the bottle before gently plucking Moonjae from Johnny’s arms, and the older alpha unwillingly concedes.

Jaehyun nods at Yuta and takes a peek at Moonjae, who's resting quietly against his chest, his eyes occasionally fluttering close, “Okay buddy, time for bed.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing the word bed before eight. This is what parenthood does to people.” Ten supplies unhelpfully, still looking frazzled from almost burning Johnny's kitchen down, when Jaehyun passes him on the way to the bedroom.

Moonjae is barely awake by the time Jaehyun got him out of his quilted jacket, little arms twitching ever so slightly at the smallest movements as his dad gets him ready for bed.

Johnny already set up the air mattress and the covers, and there’s two freshly laundered bolster pillows on each side (not that Moonjae has gotten farther than rolling on his belly). Jaehyun fixes Moonjae’s own blankets on the mattress with one arm, the other, supporting the baby against his chest.

After feeding the little one half a bottle of formula and making sure that their portable baby monitor is properly set up, Jaehyun makes his way back in the living room, where he hopes no one has had alcohol poisoning yet in the half an hour he'd been gone.

Johnny’s spare room is adequately sound proof, so while he’s thankful with the fact that his son’s sleep will be hardly disturbed, this also means he completely missed the arrival of tonight’s main event.

He walks into the small crowd that’s gathered by the foyer, right at the moment Yuta nods at the familiar face standing by the door, distant and awkward, but a greeting nonetheless.

Hansol himself looks taller than Jaehyun remembers. He looks the same as he did three years ago, handsome bordering on pretty, just slightly on the skinnier side now. His hair is also the exact same shade of brown Yuta used to teasingly call boring back then. Even the way he looks at Yuta hasn’t changed.

Jaehyun makes his way to the newcomer and gives him an awkward hug, he's probably the last in the queue too, judging by the excited smiles on everyone’s faces. He can’t deny that he’s also somehow missed the older alpha’s presence, kind, selfless Hansol who often stumbled with his accented words. The Hansol who took care of them, took care of Yuta like nobody else did.

“Hyung.” The younger alpha greets, after stepping out of the hug.

“Jaehyun, wow, you look great. You’re taller too.” Jaehyun wants to say the same for Hansol, but the older man continues, eyeing both him and Yuta — now standing beside Jaehyun — with reluctance, “so, you and Yuta huh? Is your baby here?”

Jaehyun is a little taken aback, but he schools his expression quickly. Johnny and Ten have kept in touch with Hansol, so it’s no surprise that he’d be updated with the newest, now youngest addition to their little group.

“He’s in the spare room actually, but asleep. You might get to see him later if he wakes up for milk.” Yuta answers for both of them with a little shrug, but Jaehyun sees the defensiveness in his stance, the uneasiness under all the nonchalance. Johnny seems to catch the same thing, because he makes eye contact with Hansol over their heads (the twin towers, or so they called them back in university).

“Ah, is that so. I heard he looks like Jaehyun.” The young alpha chances a glance at Yuta at this and sees the way he averts his eyes from Hansol’s before answering,

“He does, boy literally got nothing from me. Anyway, I’ll go grab myself some food. Welcome back hyung.” Yuta says with a tug on Jaehyun’s sleeve, and the younger takes it as his cue to follow. So Jaehyun nods at Hansol, bidding a quick see you later, before pattering after Yuta.

The younger finds Yuta scooping slightly burnt japchae into a massive bowl, most likely a serving bowl but the omega doesn’t seem to care. “You good?” Jaehyun asks anyway, despite knowing the answer.

“Never been better.” The younger man nods, and grabs two cans of beer from the fridge, they’re Yuta’s favourite, one he hasn’t touched since they found out about the pregnancy. He’s pretty sure Johnny bought them solely for those reasons.

—

Taeyong arrives a little before nine, always the busybody of the group (though Ten would argue that the only reason he holes up in the studio is to avoid any sort of social interaction, such as this), bringing with him more beer despite being the resident lightweight amongst them.

They’re halfway through the Korean dubbed version of Toy Story 3, with Yuta sniffling quietly beside Jaehyun, already a little tipsy, while the rest are hardly paying attention, more interested in asking Hansol all sorts of questions, from _how’s New York? _to _is it true everyone smokes weed there?_

It doesn’t take long for Taeyong to join in on the questioning. But it’s all good, Hansol being there takes all attention off Yuta and Jaehyun, so the latter scoots a little closer and lets Yuta lean against his shoulder. One of Jaehyun’s hands is rubbing circles on Yuta’s back, making sure not to touch the ticklish spots he knows by heart.

The baby monitor buzzes to life just when Jaehyun’s about to ask Yuta if he wants another can of beer. The smallest whimpers get everyone’s attention, and they all turn to Yuta and Jaehyun as if seeing them for the first time since the movie started. They probably really forgot about them, with how quiet he and Yuta have been.

“Guess it’s meal time for him.” Jaehyun stands up, detangling Yuta from his side, “I’ll take care of it, you keep watching.” The older man nods at this, and leans the other way where the cushions are instead.

“Is it,” Hansol starts, surprising pretty much everyone (especially Taeyong, who has absolutely no idea what happened earlier), “…is it okay if I come along? I’d like to meet him if you don’t mind, that is.” Hansol looks so unsure that Jaehyun doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he does mind. And he’s really not in the position to say that, just because Hansol dated Yuta four years ago.

Jaehyun glances over at Yuta, and the omega is watching them with interest, eyes glazed over, but otherwise his expression remains neutral. The young alpha takes it as an approval, so he nods and gestures for Hansol to follow him. He prepares the milk in the kitchen, where they left one of the baby’s bags, while the rest continue watching in the living room. He doesn’t need to turn around to know Hansol is following his every move with his eyes.

“You’re very used to this now.”

“I take care of the baby when he wakes up at night. Yuta has him all day at work you see.” Once Jaehyun is satisfied with the temperature of the formula, they make their way to the spare room where Moonjae is now full on crying, thrashing his little arms around.

Jaehyun picks him up from the mattress on the floor, bouncing the baby a little to get him to calm down while he fixes the burp cloth over his shoulder. Hansol takes a seat at the edge of the bed, watching the scene like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.

Moonjae is quick to suckle on the nipple as soon as it touches his lips, and once Jaehyun is sure the baby’s comfortable in his position, he gets himself settled beside Hansol on the bed.

“He does look like you, like a little Jaehyun.” Hansol comments, fondness in his eyes.

“That’s what everyone says. Yuta says he got my temper too.” The older alpha chuckles at that. Silence stretches between them until the baby’s finished the entire bottle and is ready to be burped.

Moonjae makes gurgling sounds, finally noticing the unfamiliar presence beside his dad. He makes grabby hands at Hansol’s face, and lets out a delighted noise when the alpha reaches out with a finger, letting the baby wrap his little ones around it.

“Can I hold him?” Jaehyun can sense the genuine kindness in his tone, so he hands the baby off to the taller man with as much care as he can muster, slightly tipsy himself.

Hansol holds Moonjae like he’s held a lot of babies before, he knows exactly where to put his hands, a far cry from Jaehyun’s first time holding his newborn son.

“He has Yuta’s eyes,” The older man says the words softly, and Jaehyun would’ve missed it if he weren’t paying enough attention. Hansol continues, as if he’s forgotten Jaehyun’s existence all together, “and they’re the most beautiful eyes.”

—

It’s past midnight when Doyoung and Taeyong leave in a rush before their third booked taxi gets fed up and leaves (again). They would’ve stayed over, but Jaehyun and Yuta are occupying the other room and there’s only so much people Johnny’s couch can accommodate.

Mostly everyone is properly drunk by then, except for Jaehyun who promised not to get too wasted because someone has to be sober for when the baby wakes up again, and he will be up before sunrise, that’s for sure. That doesn’t mean Jaehyun can’t snooze for a bit until he’s needed, so he gets himself settled beside Yuta in bed, not bothering to pull the covers over himself lest he gets too comfortable that he sleeps through the baby’s crying.

Instead, he gets waken up by the cold breeze, they must’ve forgotten to close the window at some point in the evening. The digital clock on the nightstand reads three fifteen and the baby is still fast asleep on the air mattress, Yuta, however, is missing from his side of the bed.

Jaehyun doesn’t think much about it when he gets out of bed, closes the window and fixes Moonjae’s blanket on his way to the door. The hallway is dimly lit, and the living room is pitch black, but the little light coming from the hallway is enough to illuminate the sleeping figure on the couch, Ten, judging by how the feet aren’t hanging over the edge, and the empty air mattress on the floor beside the couch.

The alpha walks past the living room, towards the equally dark kitchen, where he can hear the slightest sounds. The light from the kitchen hood is on, and Jaehyun sees Yuta’s leaning against the counter, Hansol in front of him, eyes seeing nothing but the omega in front of him, whose hands he’s holding with both of his. They’re having a hushed conversation it seems, and Jaehyun can’t make out a single word from where he’s standing by the entrance. They haven’t noticed him too, far too engrossed with each other.

So he makes his way back to the bedroom quietly, and thanks the heavens that Johnny doesn’t have creaky floors.

He gets under the covers this time, taking Yuta’s spot by the window with his back against the door, intent on not getting woken up by anything other than Moonjae’s hungry cries.

But Jaehyun doesn’t get a chance to lull himself back to sleep, because quiet footsteps approach the room, and the person silently lets himself in. Jaehyun hears shuffling near Moonjae, and the softest _‘I love you my sweet baby’ _before he feels a dip in the bed.

Warm body presses against his from behind, arms sneaking around his waist in a tight embrace. Yuta’s scent, muted and powdery, laced with a bit of alcohol and the smell of fried chicken they had right before bed overwhelms Jaehyun.

He’s never had Yuta like this, all wrapped around him, nose buried in his neck from behind, his chest pressed as close as possible against the alpha’s back.

And at that moment, with the raw desperation at which Yuta clings to him, Jaehyun thinks something has somehow changed between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Tsuki is Japanese for moon  
-20,000 won is $20


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait everyone! I'm finally back to finish this series. There's not a lot left after this chapter, so I guess this one should be considered the last, and the chapter after this will likely be just an epilogue.
> 
> I'm actually very much ready to start a new Jaeyu/Yujae series soon, but I'm still in the middle of brainstorming for it, as hopefully, it's gonna be a bigger fic than this one, by number of chapters and by the plot in general. 
> 
> For now, please enjoy this fluff ball of a fic <3

**Moving forward**

The morning after the party plays like this: they get up past noon, Moonjae is fussy because he’s not in his normal environment and probably misses the familiar scent of home (it is his first sleepover), so they end up packing up and leaving earlier than expected. By then, Ten is the only person left in Johnny’s apartment, snoring away on the couch; Hansol had gotten up earlier than everyone else and left even before seven, at least according to his last text to Johnny.

They get back home, Jaehyun gets back to the essay he’s neglected, and Yuta does the laundry (with reminders from Jaehyun to _‘please don’t put the dryer on high, all my clothes are gonna end up Moonjae’s size’_) while Moonjae flails about on his play mat in the living room, already back in good spirits.

They don’t talk about the party, not Hansol, not Yuta spooning Jaehyun in bed right after. Nothing.

Jaehyun knows that if there’s one thing the two of them are very good at (except for making cute babies apparently) it’s ignoring their issues.

Yuta throws him loaded looks here and there, and there’re moments when he looks like he’s about to say something but then he stops even before he can give himself a chance to start. For an entire year, and now almost two, that’s how their relationship worked. They reap the good parts — the sex, the cuddles, the companionship — but they shy away when things get dangerously close to the topic of commitment. Jaehyun honestly doesn’t know which of them started the pattern, but it’s gone on for so long that he thinks it’s probably how they managed to stay together without the intricacies of a committed relationship in the first place.

There’s moments when Jaehyun wonders how it would be like if he’d been a little braver with his feelings (which he now acknowledges goes beyond platonic), would they have worked? Would Moonjae be more than a baby born out of a pair of friends who screwed up with their choice of condom? At the same time, Jaehyun is reminded of how perfect Hansol and Yuta’s relationship had been, everyone was sure they were going to end up with each other raising an entire football team, but here they are years later, practically strangers, and the only time they’ll be seeing each other will be at reunions.

They could easily be the next Hansol and Yuta. The thought scares Jaehyun more now that they have Moonjae, so if Yuta doesn’t think there’s anything to talk about, Jaehyun will let it go, just like how they’ve done it every single time.

The weekend ends just like that, they both go back to school and work on Monday. Jaehyun’s classes aren’t until ten so he sees Yuta and Moonjae to the door, pressing a kiss to the crown of the baby’s head as he waves them goodbye.

Jaehyun’s shift at work starts late in the afternoon, so he misses Yuta and Moonjae during lunch, but Donghyuck crowds him in the locker room to show him a picture of Yuta with a tight lipped smile, an endearing and funny look on him, and Moonjae under the omega’s chin, his little mouth forming a small o and his huge eyes glowing in wonder as they look into the camera. They apparently took it during lunch, ‘cause Yuta is by himself today so Donghyuck and Jungwoo took an early break to keep him and the baby company.

Jaehyun ends up asking for a copy of the picture, while pointedly ignoring Donghyuck’s knowing smile.

He has an hour left in his shift, so he counts every minute on the ugly wall clock over the entrance door. The clock is off by a a few minutes, but that only means he gets to leave a few minutes earlier and make valid excuses about the clock being off whenever he arrives late for work. Lucas, of course, chooses this exact moment to invade his space, counting the minutes with him, because they apparently get off at the same time that evening.

Lucas, the chatterbox that he is, drowns out the noise from the few remaining customers with his nonsensical stories. Jaehyun has learned to tune him out when necessary, but there’s moments when the younger alpha’s words will make him do a double take, because _‘what the hell?’_

“So like, who gets custody of Moonjae when one of you moves out?” Lucas asks in passing, hand under his chin, looking like a smug bastard, “I mean, it should be Yuta, no? Since he’s the birth parent. But since you two are like bestfriends I guess you get more days for visitation than normal.”

“Why the sudden interest?” Jaehyun narrows his eyes.

“I was just thinking, since you’re not together and he’s free to date anyone right? Do you think you can put in a good word for me?” the older alpha is tempted to hit the other over the head because you have to be a special kind of idiot to ask to date the omega your co-worker has a baby with.

“Go finish cleaning up, Lucas. You’re giving me a a headache.”

While he’s sure Yuta will not spare Lucas a second of his time (he loves the boy but he still definitely regards him as a kid), something else gets Jaehyun’s attention. It’s the idea that someone might actually come along, someone who’s bold enough to offer Yuta the things Jaehyun can’t even bring up in a conversation. One day, there will be another alpha who might be able to woo Yuta the same way Hansol did, and when that time comes, Jaehyun will be left with nothing but weekend visitations for Moonjae and an unspoken love he was too scared to confess.

The thought lingers at the back of his mind even after he finishes his shift, and he’s gone back home, and it stays there as he watches the steady rise and fall of Yuta’s chest as he slept comfortably beside Jaehyun in bed, his scent a little sweeter than usual.

Jaehyun makes up his mind the next day while he’s making them breakfast and Yuta’s getting Moonjae ready for the day. The baby has been a little fussy since he woke up, so Yuta by default, is also in one of his _‘moods’_. So Jaehyun doesn’t say anything, just dutifully observes the omega as he settles the baby in his lap instead of the highchair because Moonjae has just finished throwing a fit after Jaehyun took him from Yuta so the latter can get dressed in peace. “Do you think he could be coming down with something?” Jaehyun asks over Moonjae’s sniffles, and sighs at the sight of little fists clutching Yuta’s sweater like lifeline.

Yuta frowns over his morning cup of coffee, “I hope not. It’s pretty bad timing if that’s really the case.” The omega doesn’t wait for Jaehyun’s response to clarify, “I think my heat is coming soon. It’ll be hard if the baby falls sick right before.”

The younger is taken aback. Yuta hasn’t had heats in a long time, more than an entire year in fact, that he’s almost forgotten he even gets them. Which is stupid of him to be honest. Moonjae is thirteen weeks old now, so it’s just about the right time for Yuta’s cycle to fall back into schedule. That explains the subtle shift in the other’s scent, and since the change is barely noticeable at this point, they should still have at least a week before it hits fully.

They made plenty of plans about their setup with the new baby, but interestingly, they never thought about the arrangements for when Yuta is physically incapacitated by his heat. Jaehyun supposes he’ll just have to take over for Moonjae though he’ll have to find a way to work that out with a sick baby who wants nothing but cuddles from his omega dad.

“Oh.” is the best Jaehyun can come up with for now. He compensates by pouring Yuta a second cup of fresh orange juice, careful to not to spill any on his baby son who’s busy glaring at every inanimate object in the kitchen.

—

Moonjae does end up getting sick, which really sucks big time, because now Yuta refuses to bring the baby to work, opting instead to take more unpaid leave so he can watch the baby at home, which, inevitably gets him sick too. But that’s something Jaehyun saw coming from a mile away, because on top of his runny nose and the persistent fever, their son also seems to have a meltdown every time he’s not physically attached to Yuta, a trait that’s exclusive only to when he’s not feeling well.

Jaehyun finally gets the chance he’s waiting for literally two days before Yuta’s heat, when the older man has partially recovered from the cold he caught from Moonjae and the baby’s recurring fevers have completely stopped after their second visit to the doctors. The experience is traumatic at best, with Moonjae nonstop crying at night and Yuta bawling his eyes just as much beside Jaehyun in bed because his baby is in pain and he can’t do much about it. Jaehyun ends up taking leave from work too, because there’s no way he can stomach leaving the two sick at home by themselves on evenings.

The young alpha warned their friends not to visit in those days, afraid that Yuta will snap at any of them for the smallest things, and knowing that the baby needs as little crowd as possible while he recovers. So no one has seen the two of them since the self imposed isolation, except for Sicheng who eyes Jaehyun in class and unapologetically tells him he smells like an omega in heat. It doesn’t sit well with Jaehyun how just about anyone can get a whiff of Yuta through him so he starts wearing some expensive perfume his parents gave him for his last birthday.

The alpha sighs as he lets himself in their apartment as quietly as possible, juggling the boxes of takeaway yakisoba and the bag of groceries in one hand. He deposits the bags on the counter and picks up the toys still scattered on the living room floor before he makes his way to the bedroom.

Jaehyun finds Yuta putting a sleeping Moonjae back in his crib beside their bed, looking like he needs to go down himself, and any other time, Jaehyun will insist he get an early rest but not tonight. So he gets the older man’s attention and beckons him towards the living room without a single word.

Yuta follows him out in just an oversized t-shirt and a pair of boxers that might or might not be Jaehyun’s, he’s rubbing his eyes the entire time while smelling like everything Jaehyun’s ever wanted and it sends the alpha’s senses into overdrive.

“I got us yakisoba, and some soju. Are you up to drink tonight?” This definitely gets Yuta’s attention, because he tilts his head to the side with a small frown on his face.

“Who are you and what have you done to my Jaehyun?” Jaehyun ignores the way his heart skips a beat at Yuta’s words, and instead focuses on putting up an exasperated front. Yuta chuckles at the ridiculous face Jaehyun’s likely making, and proceeds to dig into the bag of groceries to take out the bottles of soju, “I mean, ever since I got Moonjae’s cold, the only things you’ve been feeding me are vegetable, porridge and fresh orange juice.

“I figured you were getting better anyway, and I’m sure you need to unwind before your heat starts.” Jaehyun gets an enthusiastic nod in response.

“That and alcohol is the best way to get a good, long night of sleep.” They share a small smile at the reminder that their baby has been sleeping throughout the night recently, and that they only have to worry about getting up early to give him his formula the next day. It’s a leap from having to be up every few hours in the night, and the change certainly shows with Yuta, who’s gained back a bit of weight recently.

Jaehyun brings their food to the living room while he gets settled on the carpeted floor. Yuta joins him not too long after with two small shot glasses and the box of supermarket cheesecake Jaehyun also got them. They have their dinner side by side on the floor (the couch is always occupied with Moonjae’s stuff), while some Korean dubbed hollywood action movie plays on the TV. It takes Jaehyun the entire movie and a whole bottle of soju to calm his nerves and gather courage, by then, Yuta’s already figured that something is up, and casually suggests they play a truth or dare game, either to lighten the mood or push his own agenda.

“Just the two of us?” Jaehyun snickers.

“Yeah, why not? We couldn’t join the game at the last party at John’s because Moonjae keeps waking up and making a fuss.”

“That’s ‘cause Johnny’s spare bedroom has tons of creepy as hell stuffed toys. I would have nightmares too.” The words get a laugh out of Yuta, who’s started to fill their shot glasses with soju, handing one to Jaehyun. The omega volunteers to go first to save them the trouble of playing rock paper scissors.

“Truth or dare,” Jaehyun asks, eyes never leaving Yuta’s.

“Truth.”

The alpha pauses for a moment, and Yuta likely sees the hesitation so he quickly adds with a small smile, “You can ask anything…”

Jaehyun is tempted to ask something on the safe side, but then he remembers why he brought on this impromptu one on one in the first place, so clears his throat, “Are there…are there moments when you wonder how it would be like if Moonjae had been Hansol’s?”

Jaehyun remembers it clearly, that time at the mall when this random alpha came up to a very pregnant Yuta, asking if the baby is Hansol’s. The strained smile on Yuta’s face back then fuelled an insecurity Jaehyun didn’t know he harboured. He’d stayed back throughout the rest of their conversation, too scared that the omega will write him off as the best friend who accidentally knocked him up should he show himself. So Jaehyun opted to keep the negative feelings to himself rather than stake his claim by coming forward. When he eventually approached Yuta, it was only because the unknown alpha was already completely out of sight.

The question catches Yuta off guard if the slight twitch of his lips is anything to go by, but he doesn’t break eye contact when he answers, “Of course I do. I think everyone has those kinds of moments, no?”

Jaehyun has to swallow a lump in his throat, suddenly, he doesn’t feel like continuing anymore, but giving up after one round of the game will be too suspicious so he braves his turn.

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare.” Yuta looks disappointed by his answer, but proceeds to make him eat an entire chili pepper anyway, playfully touching the alpha’s ears that have turned red after just a second.

The rest of the game is nothing to write home about, after the first round, Jaehyun decides to stick with safer questions, because Yuta consistently chooses truth without fail every time his turn rolls around. Jaehyun doesn’t miss the look of longing that Yuta sends his way whenever his turn ends with some stupid question Jaehyun came up with.

For the first time since the game started, Jaehyun chooses truth, which somehow surprises Yuta who looks ready to give the alpha another ridiculous dare.

“Do you see me as someone you can be in a relationship with?” Yuta asks with a straight face, not a single trace of all the soju he’s consumed so far. Jaehyun’s eyes widen, he opens his mouth a few times trying to make sense of the question, because that’s the last thing he expects Yuta to ask, “and I want you to be truthful, I want to know if you see me as someone you can potentially mate with, even without Moonjae in the equation.”

“Yuta…”

“You know what, you don’t even have to answer that. I kind of know the answer, but I was hoping to hear it from you.” The smile Yuta has one doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and for the first time that evening, he breaks eye contact in favour of staring at his lap.

“I…Yuta…Don’t you still like Hansol?” The younger counters with another question, still not sure he has it in him to finally spill the beans, not with the way his entire body feel like it’s on fire.

“Jae, I haven’t been in love with Hansol for a whole two years now. I’ve stopped being in love with him long before I started sleeping with you…”

“So I wasn’t rebound?”

“You never were. Oh my gosh, Jaehyun. I didn’t want to rush you, because you didn’t seem comfortable being with me yet…so I never said anything.” Yuta looks so crushed with the realisation that Jaehyun hasn’t seen himself as anything more than a distraction to the then heartbroken Yuta.

“Hansol had been my everything, but he wasn’t the one who stayed with me when I was at my worst. He wasn’t the one who took care of me when I thought I was gonna die from heartbreak, overdramatic as that sounds.” Jaehyun reaches out for Yuta’s hand on autopilot, taking them into his bigger one like every other time the omega is in distress.

“You never told me that.” Jaehyun starts, using his other hand to tip Yuta’s chin up. He nearly buckles at the sight of slightly feverish cheeks and teary eyes. “But I’m just as guilty, I was too scared to make the first move. I always feel like you only stayed with me because I was your last option, so I didn’t want to force you to see me as a mate.”

Yuta laughs at that, “goodness Jaehyun, have you seen yourself? You’re definitely not a _last option_. Have you considered that maybe you’re the most perfect alpha anyone can ever ask for? You got me with your kimchi soup the first time.” The omega tugs on their joined hands and Jaehyun doesn’t waste a moment pulling the omega into his lap to nuzzle his bared neck.“Yes, I sometimes wonder how it would be like if Moonjae had been Hansol’s, and I realise that that’s the last thing I want. I can’t imagine being without you Jae, can’t imagine Moonjae not having your fine ass as his other dad. Is it too much if I ask you to be officially my boyfriend?”

Jaehyun answers him by grazing his teeth against the sensitive skin of Yuta’s neck, a tentative bite that makes the omega shiver in his hold. “We’re really doing this in reverse huh? We’re literally parents now.”

“We couldn’t have done it without the soju. Thank fuck you’re so smart or we’ll probably be in our forties before we get anywhere.” It’s Jaehyun’s turn to let out a laugh, his breath fanning over Yuta’s skin before the latter pulls the alpha’s face off of his neck and into a wet kiss full of teeth and tongue. Yuta complains about the taste of pepper in Jaehyun’s mouth before he dives back in for more.

By the time they’re done making out on their living room floor, the movie credits are already rolling and the cheesecake has gone warm and mushy. Jaehyun keeps the omega in his lap, forehead to forehead and warm breath mingling. Yuta’s has his eyes closed, perhaps in relief and his arms are around Jaehyun’s shoulders, one hand carding through the alpha’s hair in a soothing manner. Jaehyun savours the moment by tracing the other’s features with his thumb, and occasionally pressing fleeting kisses on the tiny mole right under his left eye.

“I love you Yuta.” Jaehyun finally says, a weight immediately lifting off his chest.

Yuta’s eyes flutter open ever so slightly, “And I love you right back.”

—

The next time their friends see them is a week later, when they’re finally allowed to visit, and Johnny is in literal tears as he scoops the googly eyed baby from Jaehyun’s arms. The latter rolls his eyes at Johnny’s theatrics but lets him be because he knows how awfully attached the alpha has gotten to his son.

“How’s my Moonjae? Has your cold gotten better? Could it be, he’s teething?!” The tall alpha exclaims, swinging the baby around to get a few giggles out of him.

“He could be, I mean, he’s almost at that age.” Yuta says as he passes the giant teddy bear currently in possession of his baby. Taeyong and Doyoung are following right behind him, both carrying two glasses of iced tea each. Ten has long since set the food they ordered on the coffee table, arranging the dishes beautifully like they’re not going to turn them upside down in a matter of seconds anyway.

“God, your apartment still stinks of Yuta. This is your first heat after the pregnancy, huh? How was it?” Ten practically climbs into Yuta’s lap as soon as the older omega gets settled on the couch.

“It’s pretty much the same as all the other ones before Moonjae I guess.”

“It seems milder compared to the ones before Moonjae actually.” Jaehyun chips in unconsciously on his way to the living room where the others have camped around the coffee table, bringing with him as many cans of beers as he can carry in his arms.

“I suppose you too spent it together, as usual. I hope you used proper protection this time, as much as we all love Moonjae, we still think you need to slow the fuck down.” Taeyong grunts, getting comfortable on the other side of Ten, while Doyoung purposely annoys him by sitting on the floor in front of him, his back painfully pressing against Taeyong’s knees.

“Hey, language,” Johnny chides softly before he adds, “and it’s fine if you have another baby, I’ll be happy to raise one of them.”

“I actually wouldn’t mind that, one of my babies being an American citizen, that would be awesome.” Yuta giggles, swinging his legs excitedly and accidentally kicking Jaehyun who chose to sit on the spot in front of Yuta.

“Well, _I_ would mind.” Jaehyun grumbles under his breath.

They start their little feast shortly after, with Yuta being the happiest to have something traditionally Korean, without the hassle of Jaehyun making them. Johnny is the one who decided on the food, insisting that they celebrate Moonjae’s first cold recovery with Baeksook and Bossam. The food is phenomenal, and like every time they’re occupied with good food, they manage to maintain a semblance of peace over the coffee table, at least until Ten makes the mistake of looking down Yuta’s collar when the omega scoots down for another serving of the chicken soup.

“Holy fu-!”

“Language!” Johnny screams over Ten out of habit, and gestures to the baby he still has in his lap.

“Shut the fuck up Johnny, look at this!” Ten continues regardless, pulling Yuta back on the couch by his collar (_‘hey! my soup!’ _Yuta screeches), exposing the latter’s neck in the process. Where it was normally unblemished, a bite mark, still a little red around the edges, now stands stark against the omega’s complexion.

Everyone collectively loses their shit over it (as they should be), whipping their heads in unison towards Jaehyun, who has a sheepish smile on his handsome face, his hand pulling on the collar of his t-shirt to show a matching bite mark. And it stands out even more on his fairer skin.

“I’m a little surprised it took this long before any of you noticed, to be honest.” The young dad says, sounding a tiny bit smug despite the way his cheeks are colouring.

“Pinch me, hurry pinch me!” Doyoung elbows Taeyong’s shin and for once, the alpha does as asked, earning him a pained yelp from the taller beta. (_‘what the fuck Taeyong!?’ ‘what!? You asked me to!’_)

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you two!” Johnny says, eyes so full of affection for his two younger friends, “we all thought you’d be forty before any of you made a move!”

“Funny how Yuta said the same thing.” Jaehyun says out loud, to which Taeyong replies a begrudging,_ ‘I could guess why.’_

“But since when?” Ten pipes up.

“Since his heat started.”

“Thanks for being very patient with us. And for looking after Moonjae like he’s your own.” Yuta speaks for the first time since Ten made the shocking discovery, and everyone in the room is caught off guard with the way the omega’s doe eyes twinkle in happiness, his plump lips puckered in a tiny, pouty smile. They’re suddenly reminded why Yuta’s considered to be one of the most attractive omegas around, and this time, he has a different aura around him.

“Aww group hug!” Ten forcefully pulls Yuta into the hug, truly happy for his friend who he knows has gone through enough rough patches, and the rest follows shortly, except for Taeyong who Doyoung has to physically haul into the hug.

_(“Don’t crush the baby.” _Jaehyun reminds with the most serious tone they’ve heard him use._)_

“But I’m still upset you didn’t tell me for an entire week, Nakamoto.” The shorter omega continues, playfully slapping Yuta on the thigh, and Yuta responds by pressing a wet kiss on Ten’s cheek.

—

“I don’t get it. Why can’t Moonjae and I go to the cafe for lunch anymore? Taeil hyung is fine with us going there everyday.”

“But it’s not fine.” Jaehyun sighs, knowing he won’t be winning this one like he’s never won a single argument with Yuta. He’s determined to, anyway.

“No, really, what is it Jaehyun?” Yuta deadpans, looking the younger man straight in the eyes the way he knows intimidates Jaehyun like no other.

“Okay fine! I think Lucas likes you. I don’t want you near him until he’s gotten over his little crush.” The omega rewards the younger with a giggle that eventually turns into full blown laughter. He can’t help it, Jaehyun is too cute when he’s being naive to the point it’s almost stupid.

The boy can top anyone at academics but he’s oblivious to a lot of things.

Jaehyun has a noticeable pout at this point, and Yuta doesn’t hesitate to flick him on the nose just to see him fume for a completely different reason. He’s not disappointed when Jaehyun gapes, exasperated.

Yuta presses a lingering, close-mouthed kiss on those lush lips, “Lucas,” another giggle, “is with Jungwoo. They’ve been together for as long as you’ve been working there.” Yuta sees the moment it hits Jaehyun, the look of realisation that quickly turns into a small frown.

“So they’re like…” The younger starts, unsure.

“They’re like Taeyong, yes. They’re dating, an item, practically mates, like us.”

“Okay, got it.” Jaehyun looks embarrassed and it’s adorable, so Yuta can’t help but press another quick kiss on his lips.

“So, now can I go back to having my lunch at the cafe?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ps. did you all see that Alphas!Lucas/Jungwoo coming? How about alpha TY being into alphas? I love my mind sometimes.
> 
> Twitter: hibxxx1


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it for this series guys! Sorry for any mistakes, I haven't had the chance to edit this, so I might be going back to this to tweak/correct stuff once I have the time. For now, please enjoy the last chapter to the only ABO series I've ever written. 
> 
> Ps. Anyone else here who gets random urges to look for stuff you haven’t seen in years in the middle of the night? Lol 
> 
> Feedbacks are appreciated!

** _Jaehyun_ **

Five years ago, if someone told Jaehyun that he would be walking home from daycare with a toddler in a stroller, milk stains on his normally pristine shirt and a diaper bag slung over his shoulder at twenty four, he would’ve laughed right in their face.

He definitely isn’t laughing now, as he struggles to manoeuvre the stroller into the tight space of their building’s elevator. He prays that no one has to get on it until they reach their floor just so he doesn’t have to accidentally run over someone’s foot on the way out, like many previous incidents before.

“Dada?” a small voice, slightly muffled by his blanket, calls out softly for him. Jaehyun sees a small fist swinging on the side of the stroller.

“Yes Moonjae, we’re almost home. Papa is making dinner tonight.” The alpha says in the gentlest voice, leaning over the stroller’s hood to peek at his child, whose big bright eyes stare up owlishly at his dad.

“Ba! Ba!”

It’s been a little over a year since his precious boy was born, and while most things in Jaehyun’s life has remained constant since then, there have also been a lot of significant changes after him and Yuta finally got together. Like the way they raise Moonjae. Where they would try to come to an agreement on anything concerning Moonjae without stepping on each other’s toes before, now they work perfectly as a team, and it helps a whole lot that they no longer hide things from each other, be it feelings or other matters that are probably more concerning (like the magically disappearing tub of ice cream and Jaehyun’s socks always missing a pair, both of which Yuta admitted being responsible for).

Jaehyun knows being a dad takes getting used to, especially being quite young himself. Caring for Moonjae when he was just a babbling infant capable only of rolling on his stomach is completely different from running after an overactive toddler dead set on running into every possible sharp corner n their apartment.

_“Our son has a death wish”_ Jaehyun gripes at Yuta at one point, while the omega simply responds with a chuckle and a day later, hands him a roll of foam edge guards to install on top of the silicone corner guards they already had in place even before their son had started crawling.

Their journey hasn’t been an easy one, and as Yuta likes to remind him, they’ve completely gotten the process backwards, having a baby first before they could come to terms with the fact that they’ve been in love with each other but were both too afraid to act on it.

Jaehyun opens the door to the smell of something burning in the kitchen and he smiles despite himself.

He unbuckles Moonjae from the stroller and pulls the toddler out in one go, together with his blanket. He presses a soft kiss on Moonjae’s forehead, delighting in the little squeal the boy lets out when he tickles him under the chin before he sets him down in the play pen in the living room. They’ve replaced the carpet with a colourful puzzle mat and completely removed the coffee table to make more room for Moonjae to play, and while Jaehyun misses the times when they’d have their dinner in the living room, he definitely enjoys seeing his little son toddle around on his own more.

“Da da da!”

“That’s right, dada’s just gonna make sure your papa doesn’t burn down the place. We still need to get our security deposit back.” Jaehyun coos, poking at the one dimpled cheek as the toddler makes grabby hands at him.

After recently finishing university and subsequently passing his licensure exam, Jaehyun has now fully transitioned from being a long suffering student and part timer at Moon Cafe to a full time dad to Moonjae. While he has been looking for a job diligently for the past month (but with not much luck) he also makes sure to make the most of his time being there for Moonjae, knowing there will not be a lot of chance in the future once he’s employed.

Yuta, to his credit, has been selected by Jongin alongside Taeyong to manage the new studio that’s opening in Gangnam. It’s a huge step up from his previous role, but it’s one Yuta happily embraces, along with the increase in pay and additional benefits. After careful deliberation between the two of them, they eventually decided to get their own bigger apartment, not too far from where they currently live and likely in a less fancy building, but it will be their own; a place where they will be raising the always growing Moonjae.

They have about a month before they have to move out of their current place. Jaehyun feels a little sentimental about moving, but he’s sure he’s going to love their new home as much as he did this one.

The alpha makes his way to the kitchen and isn’t surprised to find Yuta fanning the smoke from the stove with his hands, the kitchen hood already turned up at max. Yuta turns to him with a small, sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I burned the egg rolls. I wouldn’t try to eat them, they look like they’re gonna spew lava any moment.”

“Highly carcinogenic, that’s how they look to me.” Jaehyun chuckles after getting a glimpse of the charred remains of what used to be egg rolls. He pulls the pouting omega closer to press a kiss on his lips before ruffling the platinum blonde hair. Yuta is back to regularly experimenting with colours, but he’s kept the length consistently long, knowing how much Jaehyun loves running his hands through the thick strands (and Moonjae painfully tugging on them). Jaehyun likes to think it’s one of the precious privileges he’s awarded as Yuta’s _boyfriend_. the word still leaves him feeling a little giddy.

“Okay then you go take over and make some actual edible food. I’m gonna say hi to my Tsuki-chan,” Jaehyun snorts, but takes the spatula from Yuta anyway. He hears a high pitched ‘Yu—da!!’ shortly after the omega skips into the living room.

They both find it funny that Moonjae has taken to calling Yuta by his name while he diligently calls Jaehyun ‘dada’. Maybe they’ve been wrong all this time about Moonjae’s favourite parent.

Jaehyun quickly finishes the egg rolls, and puts them in a neat row beside the kimbab Yuta already made. When he’s satisfied with how they look, he carries the plates to the counter along with the bright yellow toddler plate where an assortment of steamed vegetables are arranged in typical bento fashion. Yuta is such a Japanese mom sometimes.

He calls for Yuta and watches the shorter man reappear with Moonjae on his hip, a little alpaca plushie in his pudgy hands. Jaehyun remembers the plushie from when they took the baby out of town, to some famous commercial alpaca farm in Gangwon-do with the entire gang. Everyone had been eager to buy Moonjae all sorts of things but he took the most liking to the plushie Jaehyun got him. He still feels pretty proud of that one win.

Yuta smiles at him, as he secures the toddler in his high chair and places Moonjae’s plate in front of him, “It feels as if he’s getting heavier each day.”

“He is a big boy, he’s bigger than his daycare buddies that’s for sure.”

“Is it because he eats too much potatoes? Maybe we should give him more potatoes so he can outgrow you.” Yuta ponders out loud with a hand under his chin, and Jaehyun can’t help the swell of affection at the sight so he pinches the omega’s cheek lovingly.

“You’re so cute hyung.” Yuta rewards him with a toothy smile, before pinching the younger’s cheek right back.

They both end up with very red cheeks (Jaehyun’s more than Yuta’s because of his general paleness) with none willing to back down from the other. Moonjae squeals excitedly at the display, chanting a series of _‘dada’s and yuda’s’_ and throwing a steamed broccoli at them in an effort to be included. Yuta laughs even as he’s taking small pieces of food from his hair.

Jaehyun chides the toddler gently about throwing his food and takes a chair to sit close to Moonjae. He watches his son shove his vegetables, cut in tiny pieces, in his mouth along with nearly all his fingers, now that he has his parents’ attention.

Yuta takes the seat beside his, and leans his head on Jaehyun’s shoulder, fondly watching their child make a mess on the tray and the floor, “Love you, my two Jae’s.” the omega says the words softly, his hand rubbing up and down Jaehyun’s arm in a comforting manner.

“We love you too, very much.” Jaehyun nuzzles the crown of Yuta’s head with a small smile on his face, his heart full.

“Dada! Yu—DA!”

** _Yuta_ **

They’ve been in their new home for a little over a month, and they’ve quickly fallen back into their normal routine. Jaehyun has finally secured a job offer, and he’s starting his training in two weeks’ time, just enough for them to get Moonjae used to longer hours at daycare.

Ever since Jaehyun took over watching after Moonjae, things have changed quite a bit in their little household. Now, Yuta gets home from work to a nice home cooked dinner, their son bathed and dressed in fresh clothes, the apartment tidied up and toys put away in their proper bins. He’s always known that Jaehyun makes a perfect house husband, he’s always been better at trying to make their living space, well, liveable, but this level of fastidiousness is impressive even for him.

Because Yuta was transferred to their Gangnam studio, there are days he’s expected to stay overtime to manage the influx of new clients. Sometimes Taeyong will half heartedly volunteer to take his place but most days he doesn’t have much of a choice, especially when the studio’s completely booked. Today is one of those days, Yuta laments, as he lets himself in their apartment. It’s half past nine and Jaehyun has been with their hyperactive toddler by himself for almost half the entire day now.

Yuta doesn’t bother to call out for the alpha when he sees the eerily quiet, dimly lit living area, afraid to wake Moonjae who should already be in bed by now. The omega is on his way to their kitchen, still sparsely furnished at this point with just the barest essentials, to get a glass of water when he first notices a few of Moonjae’s blocks on the floor. Jaehyun normally makes sure those are kept away, knowing first hand the excruciating pain of stepping on them.

The omega takes that as his cue to check on his boyfriend and son, who appear to be missing from the bedroom and nursery. He then makes his way back to the living room, finally realising why it’s dimly lit in the first place. He finds the alpha sleeping on his back, on Moonjae’s puzzle mat, behind the L-shaped couch they got as a gift from Jaehyun’s parents (a small luxury they can now enjoy with a bigger apartment). It’s no wonder he didn’t see the alpha.

But what really gets Yuta’s attention is the sleeping toddler curled up on Jaehyun’s chest, mostly clean except for the mush stain on one of his onesie’s sleeves.

He knows he shouldn’t but Yuta can’t help the little laugh he lets out at the sight. The toddler stirs at the sound, always a light sleeper (to his parents’ dismay), his eyes fluttering open, “Yu—da?” the omega nods at his son, hands stretching forward to beckon his child closer, and Moonjae doesn’t waste a second, quickly scrambling off his dad to stand on wobbly feet and barrel into the parent he’s missed all day like a little missile.

“Oof, careful there Tsuki-chan! So, did you tire your daddy out?” Yuta is careful to speak in a hushed voice, but Moonjae perks up at the mention of his passed out parent, brows furrowing before he points a pudgy finger in the alpha’s direction. It’s the only warning Yuta gets before Moonjae starts screaming at the top of his lungs:

“Da da da da! Ah! Ba ba!”

Jaehyun startles awake, shooting up from the floor in remarkable speed, before he proceeds to cradle his head with a grunt, likely dizzy from the sudden change of position.

“Ah there you go, you’ve woken him up.” Yuta admonishes his child jokingly before he hoists Moonjae up in his arms, the small hands still pointing at Jaehyun in what seems to be an attempt to tell on his dad.

“Oh god, I fell asleep, we were watching Pororo when I dozed off. Did he go anywhere dangerous? I should’ve put him in his play pen at least.” Jaehyun’s voice is rough with sleep, and Yuta sympathises with the younger, having been in the same shoes just over a year ago.

“Jae, it’s fine, he didn’t run anywhere. He went to sleep right on top of you. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up from the pressure.” Jaehyun’s eyes soften with Yuta’s words and he gets to his feet so he can personally pinch the toddler’s nose before pressing a kiss on the slightly red spot he leaves behind.

“Good job, Moonjae.”

“Dada!”

“Yes, dada. Now I know why he keeps pointing at you with his face all scrunched up. He’s probably trying to tell me that you fell asleep in the middle of your babysitting duties.” Yuta quips, a playful smile on his face.

“Yeah, sorry. It’s way past his bedtime now.”

“It’s fine, tomorrow is a Saturday, he doesn’t have daycare, so he gets to experience the joy of sleeping in.”

“Except he never sleeps in, he’ll be awake at six, daycare or no daycare.” Jaehyun sighs, making his way to their shared bedroom, Yuta and Moonjae right behind him.

“That’s probably gonna be the case, he’s lucky his dads are morning people. I’ll put him to sleep, go get ready for bed yourself.” The omega stands on the tips of his toes to press a proper kiss on his mate’s lips, the kiss quickly turns heated, and Jaehyun has to reluctantly pull away before they get too cozy with each other in front of their kid. Moonjae is now big enough that they have to be more careful with what they do under his watchful eyes.

“Okay, come to bed soon too.” the alpha whispers against Yuta’s lips, before he disappears into the room.

Yuta changes Moonjae’s onesie first, and despite his enthusiastic welcome earlier, it’s obvious that the child is tired, because he’s already drifting in and out of sleep in the process. The omega puts the child in the crib before he leaves to fetch a full bottle of milk that he hands to the boy when gets back. Yuta watches as Moonjae holds the bottle with both hands, looking no less adorable than the day his dimples first showed. By the time the boy has finished his milk, his eyes are fully closed, occasionally suckling on air as he refuses to let go of his empty bottle.

The omega eventually manages to pry the bottle from Moonjae’s grip, tucking the toddler in with his teal blanket (the one he’s super attached to, and will throw a tantrum that can bring down any grown man to his knees for). After pressing a goodnight kiss on his child’s forehead, Yuta is ready to cuddle his other _baby_ in bed.

Except he finds Jaehyun rummaging through one of the boxes they haven’t unpacked yet, that’s been pushed to the corner of their room, instead of their bed. Apparently looking for a damn hoodie.

“Seriously? You want to spend the night looking for a hoodie you haven’t seen in like a year instead of spooning me?”

Jaehyun chuckles at Yuta’s misery, before getting right back to digging into his second box, “I don’t know, I just remembered I used to have that but then it just disappeared. It’s one of my most comfortable hoodies and I’d hate if I lost it.”

Yuta lets out an exasperated noise, but silently hopes he didn’t accidentally shrink that hoodie in the dryer like he did many of Jaehyun’s clothes before he eventually worked out how hot is too hot.

The older man would complain again (especially since he’s already comfortable under the covers with just his Jaehyun missing) but he sees how determined Jaehyun is. The boy sure has his priorities in all the wrong places.

Jaehyun eventually pulls out a white hoodie he’s looking for from the bottom of the third box. It isn’t obvious at first when it’s all rumpled and bundled up but when Jaehyun shakes it out, likely to see if it’s the right fit still after Yuta’s dryer episodes, he sags in disappointment because while the hoodie hasn’t been shrunk, it has, instead, been stretched out around the belly.

“Oh, I guess I wore that a lot when I was pregnant with Moonjae.” Yuta tries his best to sound sincerely apologetic, but he hopes Jaehyun will get over it fast because he still wants a cuddle.

“I suppose I’ll have to throw this in the donation box.” Jaehyun says glumly, throwing the hoodie on top of the pile he made with a dejected face.

“You don’t have to…” Yuta says, watching the alpha climb into his side of the bed, behind Yuta, big arms already reaching to lock around the omega’s waist, “I mean, we can keep it, until the next time we’ll need it.” Yuta finds he sincerely means the words, and hopes Jaehyun catches the suggestion behind them.

The way the taller man stiffens is a sure sign that they’re on the same page.

“Yeah. Yeah, we totally could. I like that idea.” The alpha says, sounding breathless, before he nestles his face in the crook of Yuta’s neck, right over the little mark that still tingles at the smallest touch from Jaehyun.

** _Extra_ **

Their new daughter (a spitting image of Yuta, and by default all the girls in the Japanese side of the family) is eight weeks old when Jaehyun finally pops the question in front of their friends, in an old bowling alley they’ve always frequented even as students. Taeyong groans over the fact that he’s winning against Jung Jaehyun (the prodigy in bowling) when the younger alpha decided to ruin his victory by proposing.

Three year old Moonjae is nestled in Johnny’s arms, giggling cutely at the way his papa bursts into ugly sobs, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as Jaehyun slides the ring onto the omega’s finger. Ten cries with him, and it’s an ugly sight altogether, except it’s also unbelievably beautiful, and it’s going down as one of the happiest moments in Yuta’s life, according to him at least.

Doyoung carries their new baby towards the couple, letting Jaehyun take the infant bundled in pink in his arms while Moonjae escapes Johnny’s hold to run into his papa at full speed. A habit he never grew out of.

They take a group picture, and Jaehyun is sincerely pleased with the way their little circle has grown over the years. Lucas and Jungwoo stand at the very back of the picture side by side, being too tall to be anywhere else, boss Moon sits beside Johnny, their hands discreetly clasped on Johnny’s thigh, and Donghyuck clinging onto Sicheng like the kid he still is.

Jaehyun is quite certain that this is what pure, unadulterated happiness must feel like.


End file.
